New boosters take biomethane a step forward in Noord-Brabant

Biomethane is produced all year round, while demand for gas is lower in the warmer months compared to the colder months. As a result, supply exceeds local demand between April and October. The boosters will be used to transfer biomethane from the Enexis network to the Gasunie network, allowing us to connect local supply to national demand. A booster is a Gasunie grey-coloured sea container consisting of two parts: a technical compartment with a compressor and an electrical compartment for the control system. This fully equipped sea container is lifted onto its base, a cooler set is installed next to it and the booster is then connected to the gas network.

Although you can explain it all in a few sentences, it is a rather complex operation, according to Project Manager Marcel Mulder. ‘There are many technical and organisational challenges. Our team consists of various technical disciplines, including electrical engineers, rotating engineers, civil engineers and instrumentation engineers. We also collaborate with many partners, such as a new supplier, a new contractor, soil surveyors, permitting officials and those performing the work. On top of that, safety is always an important topic when gas is involved and shouldn’t be taken too lightly. We need to streamline all of those aspects.’

Why are these boosters needed? ‘We have a biomethane surplus, mainly between April and October. Biomethane is produced from green waste streams, such as manure, unsold food from supermarkets or agricultural waste streams. Production is stable all year round, but demand for biomethane is lower during the summer. This is when people turn off their heating, so we can’t sell the gas anywhere. Feeding the gas from the regional Enexis network into the national Gasunie network allows it to be transported further into the country to locations where demand is still present.’

The boosters in Tilburg and Mill are the first ones Gasunie is installing in the province of Noord-Brabant. The province has great potential for biomethane production, given the availability of organic waste streams from agriculture and livestock farming. This is why Gasunie is investing in infrastructure in several locations. Gasunie is linking the networks in Noord-Brabant and the Zeelandic-Flanders region, and is also connecting new biomethane producers to the pipeline network. Together, these projects will make a greater amount of sustainably produced biomethane available for domestic households, companies and industry. Biomethane enables everyone to join the energy transition, including households that would otherwise be difficult to decarbonise, such as listed buildings. ‘Biomethane also helps us to become more self-sufficient in the Netherlands,’ Marcel adds. ‘The fact that the gas is produced here makes us less reliant on imports from outside of Europe.’