AFEN has published a sector report on CO capture and storage2 biogenic (BioCCS) from the biomethane production. The report provides an overview of the potential and the barriers, compares public policies across Europe, and makes five recommendations for France.
The report was presented on September 30, 2026 during a launch webinar, featuring an introductory presentation by Jeanne-Marie Hays (International Energy Agency) and a panel discussion with Carbon Impact, GRDF, Airfix, and the ATEE Biogas Club.
Key messages from the memo
Carbon capture and storage2 Biogenic carbon from biomethane production is a tool available for generating negative emissions, but it remains insufficiently integrated into France’s climate roadmap, its CCUS strategy, and existing support mechanisms.
Potential available in the short term. CO2 Produced through the purification of biomethane, with a purity of 95 to 99 %, it reduces capture costs.
A dispersed deposit. More than 80 % of anaerobic digestion facilities that feed gas into the gas grid emit less than 5 kt CO2/year, whereas the planned transportation infrastructure is primarily aimed at major industrial emitters. Regional collection infrastructure is needed to capture these diffuse emissions.
Insufficient market prospects. No market today offers the depth and predictability needed to fully realize this potential. Conventional markets (greenhouses, agri-food, and chemicals) lack sufficient depth; the voluntary carbon removal (CMR) credit market remains concentrated; and prices in potential regulatory markets (such as the European carbon emissions trading system) do not cover the full costs of collection, transport, and sequestration.
Regulatory uncertainties. The Lack of a Framework for Tracking bioCO2 Shared infrastructure and the lack of interoperability among EDC labels—particularly between French and European frameworks—are holding back investment decisions.
The report makes five recommendations for government action:
- Develop an interministerial and regional EDC strategy, with quantified targets by sector (2030–2050) including CO2 biogenic aspects of anaerobic digestion.
- Stimulate demand, by encouraging companies to purchase EDC credits through a clear certification and claims framework, and by leveraging regulatory measures, starting with the integration of EDC into the European carbon market.
- Adjusting Public Funding to help the decentralized sector achieve financial viability by adjusting the support mechanisms for water capture—which are currently reserved for heavy industry—as well as for water collection.
- Develop complementary collection and transportation infrastructure, to integrate CO production2 from anaerobic digestion to large-scale transportation projects, and finalize the regulatory framework (open access for third parties, traceability through guarantees of origin).
- Ensuring the Safety of Geological Storage, by developing domestic capabilities while continuing to pursue bilateral agreements with countries that have mature capabilities.
Download the memo: https://afen.fr/publications/le-biomethane-un-levier-pour-lelimination-du-carbone-en-france/
A Look Back at the Launch Webinar
An underutilized resource in the face of growing needs
The International Energy Agency (IEA) studies the role of all energy technologies and sources in a sustainable energy system. Its presentation outlined the framework for the role and future developments of the green gas sector. Jeanne-Marie Hays highlighted the sector’s dynamism in France:
«France is not currently among the countries with the highest biogas production, but it is a country where production is increasing very rapidly, with the highest growth rate in the European Union.».
The CO deposit2 Biogenic carbon, currently at about 1.7 Mt/year, has great potential:
«If we were to tap into all the potential currently available, we could increase the size of this deposit tenfold, bringing it to about 17 million metric tons.»
In the shorter term, «Based on current trends, it is estimated that biogas and biomethane production could double by 2030. That means the CO2 »The available biogenic biomass could also double, reaching nearly 3 million metric tons per year."
Producers: Making the Most of the Entire Molecule
The ATEE Biogas Club brings together the leading French players in the biogas and anaerobic digestion sectors and has observed its members’ growing interest in CO recovery2 biogenic.
For Émeline Ghigo, CO₂ capture2 is part of an effort to harness all the externalities of anaerobic digestion:
«We’re already doing this with biomethane and digestate, but in this case, it’s really the molecule itself that we still need to isolate.»
The motivations are primarily related to sustainability («using 100 % of biomass»), but also economic: «To try to lower the production cost of biomethane amid regulatory changes in this sector, including the phase-out of the feed-in tariff».
The Network Manager: Supporting an Industrial Sector
As the leading operator of France’s natural gas distribution network, GRDF is directly involved in the development of green gas and is exploring the creation of regional pipelines for collecting biogenic CO2. For Sami Ghardaddou, the structuring of these markets is a key industrial challenge:
«The fact that we are supporting the development of a market—whether it involves carbon utilization or sequestration, and the related carbon removal sectors […]—will enable us to support an entire industry sector, a French industrial sector that creates jobs.»
In fact, the potential isn’t limited to BioCCS. GRDF is also exploring other EDC solutions, such as biochar, which is co-produced with renewable gas through pyro-gasification—a green gas production process poised for growth.
He also highlighted his role as a potential buyer:
«As an industrial company, we’re also considering purchasing carbon offsets for our own emissions.»
According to him, this is one of the reasons why GRDF joined the AFEN ecosystem.
The project developer: a long-awaited sign of reform in the European carbon market
Airfix offers CO transportation solutions2 biogenic for small-scale producers in Europe. In Switzerland, his project exports CO2 from the Regionalwerk Baden facility to the Greensand storage site in Denmark: more than 4,250 metric tons of CO2/year, with transportation and storage costs of approximately 350 €/t. The project was financed through an EDC carbon credit forward purchase agreement with the Climate Fund Foundation.
Aymeric Reymond commented on the European Commission’s proposal for an EDC purchase program as part of the reform of the Emissions Trading System (ETS):
«If this request comes to fruition—[…] it’s still just a proposal at this point—it will be revised and, I hope, approved in the first quarter of 2027, which would provide a roadmap for future projects.»
However, he cautioned about the price level that had been set:
«The price the commission used for its estimates is around 200 euros per metric ton for bio-CCS. Without government support and given the current state of onshore storage, it will be very difficult to carry out projects at that price. In fact, no bio-CCS project in Europe today achieves that price level without government subsidies.»
Stakeholder Requests
The recommendations made in conclusion call for pragmatic support for the sector: providing rapid support for the most technically and economically viable projects, creating demand for EDC certificates through calls for bids for pilot projects and long-term contracts, and supporting collection hubs as well as domestic storage in France. AFEN supports all of these initiatives.
Watch the webinar again: https://afen.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Le-biomethane-un-levier-pour-lelimination-du-carbone-en-France-enregistrement.mp4
Acknowledgments
AFEN would like to thank the webinar speakers: Jeanne-Marie Hays (IEA), Sami Ghardaddou (GRDF), Émeline Ghigo (ATEE Biogas Club), Aymeric Reymond (Airfix) and Karim Rahmani (Carbon Impact).
It also thanks its members who contributed to the drafting of the memo, including Carbon Impact, GRDF, NaTran and Teréga.
Upcoming AFEN Events
To continue the discussion, AFEN invites you to two events in October:
- BIG (Bpifrance), October 8: Roundtable discussion titled «Biomass: The Green Industrial Gold» featuring MGH Energie, Veolia, Carbon Impact, and the ATEE Biogas Club. Register here: https://big.bpifrance.fr/fr/session/730d4611-e95d-f111-8fcb-6045bd954326/biomasse-l-or-vert-industriel
- Carbon Removal Conference, October 13–14: The annual gathering of the carbon removal sector in France. On October 14 at 10:30 a.m., the workshop «BioCCS in France: Roadmap, Available Biomass, and Scaling Up» will bring together Carbon Impact, GRDF, Suez, Crédit Agricole, and Teréga. Registration: https://luma.com/fygnho1f
