From spring 2023, Energie Thun AG, Gasverbund Mittelland (GVM) and Renera will import biomethane for Swiss gas customers on a long-term basis. Under a Biomethane Purchase Agreement (BPA) between the three energy companies, 30 GWh of biomethane will be fed into the European gas grid each year. This volume corresponds to around 7% of Energie Thun AG’s annual gas sales (year 2021). Energie Thun AG is thus taking a substantial step towards achieving and securing the industry target for Swiss gas supply of 30% renewable gas by 2030. The long-standing partnership between the GVM, Renera and Energie Thun AG in biomethane procurement is being further expanded with this purchase agreement.
Energie Thun AG is not alone on the path towards renewable gas supply. The Gasverbund Mittelland and its 15 members (including Energie Thun AG) are actively investing in a long-term green and renewable energy supply. The GVM procures biomethane for its shareholders and develops forward-looking projects that enable the supply of renewable gases across the border. To procure the green gas, the GVM relies on its long-standing cooperation with Renera (formerly Energie Zukunft Schweiz AG). Renera identifies biomethane feed-in projects across Europe and facilitates their financing and long-term operation. Rolf Samer, CEO of GVM: “GVM and its partners have set high goals for the implementation of the energy transition. GVM’s future focus is on green gases – for long-term and sustainable security of supply. Together we will achieve this through strategic partnerships like with Renera.”
The green gas for the 15-year off-take contract between the three companies comes from a newly built biogas plant in Western Europe. Only organic waste (from agriculture, for example) is used to produce the biomethane. The sustainability of the biomethane production is ensured by external audits. The aim is to achieve international ISCC certification and Swiss naturemade star certification. Georg Meier, Head of Trading and Biomethane Development at Renera, emphasises
What is special about this contract is the possibility of importing the physical gas in the future. This is not done today because physically imported biomethane is not recognised as biomethane by the federal government. Therefore, CO2 taxes are also levied on physically imported biomethane in Switzerland. Should this change in the future, Energie Thun AG, in cooperation with Gasverbund Mittelland, can import the biomethane into Switzerland at any time via the existing gas grid. Urs Neuenschwander, Head of Marketing and Sales at Energie Thun AG, confirms: “Thanks to the cooperation with GVM and Renera, in addition to our own biomethane projects in Switzerland, we can also guarantee our customers transparency regarding the origin and quality of biomethane from Europe. Thanks to this long-term commitment, we are also strengthening our independence from fossil natural gas.”
Georg Meier
Head of Trading
and Biomethane Development Renera
Georg Meier, Head of Trading and Biomethane Development Renera
georg.meier@renera.energy
