Biogas and biomethane: Production
Europe's lead and India's slow climb towards 5,000 plants
Europe's lead and India's slow climb towards 5,000 plants What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | Europe biomethane capacity 7 bcm a year (early 2025); India about 219 operational CBG plants (Aug 2026) against a SATAT target of 5,000 | European Biogas Association Statistical Report 2025, via Renewable Energy Magazine, 10 Dec 2025; BioEnergy Times, Aug 2026 | |
| World output | about 40-50 bcm-equivalent biogas and biomethane worldwide (indicative); Europe 22 bcm (2024); India CBG sales about 0.63-0.66 MMSCMD (mid-2026) | IEA Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane (May 2025), via World Biogas Association and BioCycle (derived); European Biogas Association Statistical Report 2025, via Renewable Energy Magazine, 10 Dec 2025; BioEnergy Times, Aug 2026 | |
| Capacity utilisation | Europe biomethane about 74% (5.2 bcm output against 7 bcm capacity, derived) | Indian plants often run well below design because of feedstock seasonality and offtake; SATAT had 1,103 active letters of intent but 114 commissioned plants in Nov 2025. | European Biogas Association Statistical Report 2025, via Renewable Energy Magazine, 10 Dec 2025; Renewable Watch, 19 Dec 2025 (SATAT portal, IBA, GAIL data) |
| Concentration | Europe about half of world output (indicative, basis: 22 of about 45 bcm); company shares not published | The sector is fragmented: thousands of farm, sewage and landfill plants. Consolidators include Nature Energy (Shell), Engie, TotalEnergies, BP (Archaea) and in India Reliance and the OMCs. | European Biogas Association Statistical Report 2025, via Renewable Energy Magazine, 10 Dec 2025; indicative |
| New capacity | 600-700 more Indian CBG plants expected within a year (government, Aug 2026); EUR 28.4 billion committed to European biomethane before 2030 | Reliance targets 500 plants by 2030; the Sampoorn GOBARdhan scheme was due to launch on 10 Aug 2026; IBA expects $4-5 billion of private investment by 2030. Europe's REPowerEU target is 35 bcm biomethane by 2030 (indicative). | BioEnergy Times, Aug 2026; European Biogas Association Statistical Report 2025, via Renewable Energy Magazine, 10 Dec 2025; Renewable Watch, 19 Dec 2025 (SATAT portal, IBA, GAIL data) |
Top producing countries
Europe (EU-27 19 bcm; Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, UK lead) 49% · 22 bcm biogas and biomethane (2024)- China: large household and agricultural biogas sector; output not published in sources reached
- United States: large landfill and dairy RNG sector; national output not retrieved
- India: CBG sales about 0.63-0.66 MMSCMD (about 0.17 Mt a year, derived) plus household and GOBARdhan plants
- Denmark: biogases are 40% of all gas consumption
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Energy (Shell) large European biomethane producer, bought by Shell in 2023 (indicative) | Denmark | not published | 2025 | not retrieved |
| Archaea Energy (BP) landfill RNG (indicative) | US | not published | 2025 | not retrieved |
| Engie biomethane plants in France and Europe (indicative) | France | not published | 2025 | not retrieved |
| TotalEnergies biogas in Europe and US; partner in Adani TotalEnergies Biomass (indicative) | France | not published | 2025 | not retrieved |
| Clean Energy Fuels and OPAL Fuels dairy RNG and CNG stations (indicative) | US | not published | 2025 | not retrieved |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Industries Rs 65,000 crore for 500 plants in Andhra Pradesh and Rs 75,000 crore for 350 in the Northeast | India | 500 CBG plants planned by 2030 | 2026 | BioEnergy Times, Aug 2026 |
| Adani TotalEnergies Biomass includes a 600 t a day feed plant in Uttar Pradesh | India | 5 CBG plants under development | 2026 | BioEnergy Times, Aug 2026 |
| Petronet LNG with Gruner binding term sheet signed | India | 10 CBG plants planned (Rs 1,200 crore JV) | Oct 2026 | BioEnergy Times headlines, 24-26 Oct 2026 |
| Indian Oil, GAIL, BPCL, HPCL OMCs buy SATAT CBG; IOCL Gorakhpur plant; GAIL runs the CBG-CGD pool | India | not published | 2026 | BioEnergy Times 2026 |
| GOBARdhan plants (community and village) mostly small biogas plants | India | 1,118 functional plants of 1,549 registered | Dec 2025 | Renewable Watch, 19 Dec 2025 (SATAT portal, IBA, GAIL data) |
India's CBG output is small but rising fast: commissioned SATAT plants grew from 114 (Nov 2025) to about 219 (Aug 2026), and sales of 0.63-0.66 MMSCMD already exceed the 0.35 MMSCMD needed for the 1% obligation. Reaching 5% by 2028-29 needs roughly 1.75 MMSCMD (derived) and hundreds more plants.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Landfill and dairy RNG for transport earn RFS D3 cellulosic RINs (1.36 billion RINs required in 2026) and LCFS credits; RNG made up 23% of all LCFS credits in 2025. |
| EU | 22 bcm biogas and biomethane, 6% of EU gas use; RED III and REPowerEU push upgrading and grid injection. |
| India | SATAT, CBO and GOBARdhan; GAIL buys CBG at 85% of the average CNG retail price (May 2025). |
| China | Large rural and agricultural biogas base; output not retrieved. |
| Japan | Small; mostly sewage and food waste power (indicative). |
| Middle East | Negligible. |