The cross-border trade of biomethane is very limited today, as having a local, sporadic character. In most cases, the international biomethane trade is realised through physical road transport (rather than using the natural gas pipeline network).
The objective of BIOSURF is to increase the production and use of biomethane, for grid injection and as transport fuel, by removing non-technical barriers and by paving the way towards a European biomethane market.
More specifically, BIOSURF aimed to contribute to the development of a Common Biomethane Market, which was approached through the following funding pillars:
-Establishment of national biomethane registries in every European country
-Cooperation among the national biomethane registries
-European mass-balancing system for biomethane: recognize the European natural gas network as one single balance-circle
Concretely, the intention of the project was:
1)To analyse the value chain from production to use, based on territorial, physical and economic features (specified for different areas, i.e. biofuel for transport, electricity generation, heating & cooling);
2)To analyse, compare and promote biomethane registering, labelling, certification and trade practices in Europe, in order to favour cooperation among the different countries and cross border markets on the basis of the partner countries involved;
3)To address traceability, environmental criteria and quality standards, so aiming to reduce GHG emissions and indirect land-use change (ILUC), to preserve biodiversity and to assess the energy and CO2 balance; to identify the most prominent drivers for CO2-emissions along the value chain as an input for future optimization approaches;
4)To exchange information and best practices all along Europe concerning biomethane policy, regulations support schemes and technical standards.
