Global biogas producer Nature Energy and energy and fibre network Andel have made “world history”, according to Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, Morten Bødskov.

He was speaking during the inauguration of the first plant in the world to commercially increase the production of biogas via electrolysis and biological methanation. The new Power-to-X plant was built in just one year.

In a partnership formed in the autumn of 2022, the two companies have invested DKK 100 million (€13.4 million) in a biological Power-to-X plant in Glansager on Als in Denmark, which is now ready for production.

Here, Andel’s electrolysis plant converts excess electricity from the sun and wind into hydrogen that is fed into Nature Energy’s methanation plant, where it combines with CO₂. It forms e-methane, thereby increasing biogas production from the existing biogas plant and reducing the amount of CO₂.

When the plant is fully operational in the spring, the hydrogen produced will boost Nature Energy’s production of green gas by 12,000 m³ of gas per day. As a comparison, a detached house uses approximately 1300-1500 m³ of gas per year.

Bødskov, turned on the tap at the inauguration so that hydrogen could flow from the electrolysis plant to Nature Energy’s tanks, and the Minister said he sees huge potential in the new technology:

“A piece of world history has been written today in Southern Jutland. Als is the first place in the world to produce e-methane biogas for commercial use, which is the kind of innovative thinking that will help drive the green transition forward because here we have a textbook example of what close collaboration between knowledge institutions and businesses can create.

“The entire southern part of Jutland is already a green energy metropolis, and with today’s opening, the region has a brand that creates growth and jobs. This is a crucial and important step towards a green future for all of us” he commented.

For Ole Hvelplund, CEO of Nature Energy, the plant marks not only a milestone in the development of green gas on an industrial scale but also a glimpse into the future: “As an industry, we are very young and have existed for less than 10 years. That is why we are an industry that is constantly evolving, and Denmark is at the forefront, which also means that we haven’t yet realised the full potential of this circular form of energy. The plant here in Glansager is proof of just how central a role organic waste and biogas play in the green transition.”