Following the European Union‘s requirement for each country to include in its national Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRP) a chapter dedicated to REPowerEU, with measures that contribute to reducing dependence on Russian gas and oil, Portugal adopted a reform dedicated to promoting the production and consumption of sustainable biomethane, creating the necessary conditions for the development of a biomethane economy in Portugal.
The adoption of the Biomethane Action Plan 2024-2040 (PAB), approved by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers no. 41/2024 published on 15 March 2024, is a further step in establishing commitments to ensure the energy transition as a lever for competitiveness and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Portugal. More specifically, the BAP’s strategic vision is to promote the biomethane market in a sustainable way, decarbonizing the national economy, reducing imports of natural gas used in the industrial and domestic sectors, including its use in mobility, and making the most of existing endogenous resources in various sectors.
The BAP strategy foresees two phases, with different time horizons:
- In the first phase (2024-2026), the BAP proposes measures to start producing and supplying renewable gas and to develop the biomethane market in Portugal through existing biogas production. Most of these actions should be implemented before the end of 2026 and are a priority.
- In a second phase (2026-2040), in addition to Phase 1, there are medium-term lines of action focused on consolidating the biomethane market in Portugal and increasing the scale of biomethane production.
In addition, there is a complementary axis (2024-2040), transversal to the use of biomethane at national level, which aims to ensure the social and environmental sustainability of market growth and the active participation of society in the development of the sector.
