The installation of a biomethane production plant at Herdade do Marmelo, in the municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo, Beja district, is in the public consultation phase, as part of a 25 million euro investment project.
The BioGreen LNG project, whose public consultation under the environmental impact assessment began on February 2 and runs until the 20th of this month, is promoted by a consortium formed by Capwatt and Nutrifarms.
In a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the promoter consortium explained that the project already has financing approved under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), and also environmental compliance from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR).
It is a total investment of 25 million euros, in the parish of Figueira dos Cavaleiros, in the municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo, which “represents a concrete opportunity for the region to advance in the energy transition.”
“A unidade terá uma produção anual estimada de cerca de 67,2 GWh [Gigawatt-hours] de biometano, o suficiente para satisfazer as necessidades de gás das cidades de Évora e Beja e o equivalente a cerca de quatro vezes o consumo de gás de toda a região do Baixo Alentejo”, salientou o promotor.
The biomethane produced in this unit, he explained, is a 100% renewable gas, with the same characteristics as natural gas, and can be injected directly into the national grid.
Through this installation it will be possible to give “a modern and effective answer to an old environmental problem in the region,” the consortium highlighted.
“A unidade de biometano utilizará resíduos agrícolas e pecuários locais para produzir energia renovável, dando-lhes um destino ambientalmente correto e economicamente valorizado”, assinalou, garantindo que “todo o processo de digestão anaeróbia decorre em digestores fechados e estanques”.
The installation will be located “more than 2.7 kilometres” from Figueira dos Cavaleiros, “in a rural agricultural area,” with the transport of materials “carried out mostly along internal paths of Herdade do Marmelo,” afiançou.
And this unit in Ferreira do Alentejo, according to the promoters, will be equipped “with a technical solution at the level of the best practices in Europe, where there are more than 1,500 similar units in operation.”
The project in this Alentejo municipality “stands out for the diversity of wastes treated and the system for producing organic fertilizers for use in various crops, promoting the circular economy and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers,” indicou.
Therefore, the project “contributes to sustainable agriculture and places the Ferreira do Alentejo municipality at the forefront of the energy transition,” frisou o consórcio.
The acoustic study conducted for the project “confirms that the operation of the unit will not cause any increase in noise levels.”
“The unit should also create several direct and indirect jobs, notably in operations, security, maintenance, transport, among other areas,” the companies added.
