TotalEnergies Acquires Biogas Stake

TotalEnergies SE is expanding its biogas segment with the successful acquisition of a 20 percent interest in a Finnish company to produce biomethane, and they plan to build their first facility in the USA.

The partner, Ductor, “has developed an innovative technology to process high-nitrogen organic waste, such as poultry manure, which is usually difficult to use for biomethane production”, said a joint press release Wednesday.

“By allowing the treatment of new types of input, this technology is helping to accelerate the development of the biogas value chain, thus contributing to the energy transition.

“It will also enable TotalEnergies to seize new market opportunities”.

The global energy giant and Ductor will also form a joint venture through which the latter will produce sustainable biofertilizers and the French partner will market biomethane, a gas generated from organic matter.

They plan to build their initial facility in Ohio state eyeing the USA and Europe as primary markets.

TotalEnergies’ new stake contributes to its “ambition of producing 20 TWh [terawatt hours] of biogas worldwide by 2030", Olivier Guerrini, TotalEnergies vice-president for biogas, noted in the announcement.

The target is “equivalent to the average annual gas demand of four million French consumers and a reduction in CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions of around four million tons”, the release stated.

TotalEnergies currently has a biogas production capacity of 1.1 Twh.

“The Company aims to become a major player in the international market by joining forces with leading partners such as Clean Energy, Veolia, and Ductor”, it said in the press statement. “It is active across the entire value chain, from project development to marketing of this renewable gas and its byproducts, including biofertilizers and bioCO2”.

Ductor chief executive Bernard Fenner said in the announcement his company’s “solution for repurposing high-grade organic residues into renewable energy and sustainable fertilizer” is an answer to striking a balance between energy and food security and counter-efforts against global warming.

The Helsinki-headquartered company currently has two plants, in Germany and Mexico.

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