The Roads to Carbon Neutral - Season 4 - Episode 6 - Biogas in Poland: harvesting energy

09/17/2024

The Roads to Carbon Neutral - Season 4 - Episode 6

Biogas in Poland: harvesting energy

Biomass & biogas

The Roads to Carbon Neutral

The fourth season of our program entitled "The Roads to Carbon Neutral", in partnership with CNBC Catalyst, provides an insight into the solutions and innovations making the transition to low-carbon energy a reality and helping us achieve a carbon-neutral future⁽¹⁾. These powerful on-the-ground stories are led by TotalEnergies' employees.

For this sixth episode, we are heading to the Wicie biogas production plant, not far from Warsaw in Poland. Magdalena Myszczyszyn, Biogas Partnerships & Origination Director at Polska Grupa Biogazowa (PGB), shows us how the agri-food industry and energy sector can work hand-in-hand to produce low-carbon energy. By recovering waste, especially from the agricultural sector, the Wicie plant produces heat and electricity. The digestate, a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process, is subsequently used as an organic fertilizer by local farmers for more sustainable agricultural practices. As such, biogas is making a full contribution to the objectives of the energy transition, namely develop renewable energies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow the circular economy.

Using biogas to drive Poland’s energy transition

Over the last few decades, Poland has experienced strong growth and a significant improvement in living standards for its inhabitants. This transformation has been enabled by the fast development of many industries. However, Poland is still largely dependent on fossil fuels, with around 70% of domestic energy production based on coal⁽²⁾. But with a high-performance agricultural sector developed across the country, Poland is now setting its sights on biogas. This low-carbon renewable and local energy is based on recovering organic waste, especially from farmers.

In March 2023, TotalEnergies acquired Poland’s biggest biogas producer, Polska Grupa Biogazowa (PGB), which is currently developing a total power generation capacity of 166 GWh per year from biogas and which operates 18 biogas plants including Wicie plant (1 MW). This acquisition, along with the development of our solar power portfolio in the country, bears testament to our determination to support Poland with its ambition of developing renewable energies and strengthening its energy sovereignty.

PGB in figures

biogas units in operation

166 GWh

of electricity production capacity

57,000

the number of households that could be supplied with biogas

Using biogas to drive Poland’s energy transition

Biogas is just the beginning. In Poland, we’re targeting biomethane, which is an entirely renewable gas. This will be the next step in reducing our carbon emissions even further.

Magdalena Myszczyszyn Partnerships & Biogas Origination Director, Polska Grupa Biogazowa, TotalEnergies

One energy with many uses

The biogas produced by the Wicie plant provides both low-carbon electricity for Polish customers and sustainable heating solutions for local businesses. Several furniture companies are taking advantage of the heat generated by the facilities to dry the wood that they use. These eco-friendly drying solutions protect the wood while maximizing energy production.

In addition, the digestate produced by the Wicie plant during the anaerobic digestion process is subsequently recycled as agricultural fertilizer by local farmers, which cuts down on the use of chemical fertilizers. This virtuous circle benefits the energy transition in the agricultural sector and the country as a whole.

The next step for Polska Grupa Biogazowa is producing biomethane, which is an entirely renewable gas. While the biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion units can be used to generate heat and electricity through co-generation engines, biomethane, after purification process can be injected directly into the gas grid. Removing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and water from the biogas results in a gas with the same characteristics as natural gas. Ultimately, producing biomethane will help increase the share of renewables in Poland’s energy mix.

All About the Production Process and Uses of Biogas

Biogas, a renewable gas, is produced by the breakdown of organic waste. Injected into gas networks in the form of biomethane, it contributes to the decarbonization of natural gas uses. How is biogas produced? What are its uses?

"Biogas: Production Process and End Uses" infographics - see description hereafter

The Roads to Carbon Neutral

Watch the previous episodes

on TotalEnergies.com

Watch the episodes

⁽¹⁾ TotalEnergies is committed to a balanced multi-energy strategy. Anchored on two pillars - hydrocarbons, particularly LNG, on the one hand, and electricity, the energy at the heart of the transition, on the other - the company is building a strong position to support its customers' energy transition. To find out more about our strategy: https://totalenergies.com/energy-transition.

⁽²⁾ Source: IEA 2022 https://www.iea.org/countries/poland/energy-mix.