We’re working on New Zealand’s first large-scale biogas project that will turn food scrap waste into biomethane, a valuable source of renewable gas for homes and businesses. Action that helps move New Zealand towards its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Clarus (formally Firstgas Group) is building a state-of-the-art plant to upgrade Ecogas’ biogas into renewable gas to inject it into the gas network – on track for deployment by Q2 2024. The facility will be the first of its kind in New Zealand.
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A joint study by Beca, Firstgas Group (now Clarus) and Fonterra reveals renewable gas is a viable, untapped solution to decarbonising New Zealand’s residential natural gas network right now, with the potential to replace nearly 20% of New Zealand’s total gas usage by 2050.
When it’s produced, biogas is about 50% methane and 50% CO2, so it doesn’t burn as cleanly as natural gas – which is 95% methane. However, we can we treat biogas and turn it into biomethane: a clean burning, low carbon gas that’s pipeline ready and can be used in any gas appliance currently available on the market.
The past two decades have seen huge growth in the production and use of biogas globally, particularly in the UK, Germany and Denmark. In fact, biogas now makes up 20% of Denmark’s natural gas – and this is expected to increase to 30% by 2023 19. The technologies used to produce, upgrade and inject biogas into gas networks are improving all the time, which means it’s getting cheaper too.
Firstgas Group and Ecogas are progressing a large-scale renewable gas to pipeline project in Aotearoa. A state-of-the-art upgrading facility to be built at Ecogas’ Organics Processing Facility in Reporoa, will start transforming kerbside food waste into biomethane, a valuable source of renewable gas that will be injected into the gas network from the second quarter of 2024.
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Our Firstgas Group team attended Ecogas’ official opening of their new Organics Processing Facility in Reporoa, the first of its kind in New Zealand.
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‘Anaerobic digestion’ is a process very similar to composting, but the difference is that it takes place with no air/oxygen present.
There’s also a valuable CO2 by-product created during biogas production, which can be used in industrial processes, to make fizzy drinks, or fed into a greenhouse to enhance plant growth.
For Clarus (formerly Firstgas Group), the Hydrogen Pipeline Trial Study set the foundation for our ongoing delivery work on hydrogen. The results show we have sufficient network capacity and a viable strategy for converting our pipeline networks to a hydrogen blend from 2035 and moving to 100% hydrogen by 2050.
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