From the Biomethane Decree 2024-2027 to the Pnrr: how renewable gas from waste and agricultural waste can reduce imports, CO2 and costs, between industrial opportunities and still open issues.
Import less gas from abroad, produce energy from waste, exploit partly existing infrastructure and reduce costs CO2 emissions. These are the four objectives that Italy wants to achieve by introducing fuel into the network and into fuel stations biomethanea gas with the same composition as fossil methane, but produced from renewable sources such as organic wastelivestock waste and agricultural waste. The project is summarized in “Biomethane Decree 2024-2027” recently updated with implementation rules that take into account new specific requirements for agricultural biomass and strategies to encourage theself-consumption of biomethane in businesses hard-to-abatei.e. those in which the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is particularly complex both technically and economically. Our country could reach annual production capacity by 2030 ranging from 5.7 billion to 8.5 billion cubic meters (more optimistic estimate).
It means that we will be able to cover at least the11 percent of the national methane requirementin the most pessimistic scenario, so as to significantly reduce imports and contribute to decarbonisation of the industrial and mobility sectors. The supply chain biogasalready consolidated in our country with over 1,800 systems by 2023can be exploited to obtain biomethane by separating it from other gases produced by fermentation. In any case, I’m almost there 100 plants of this pure element already operational.
The environmental balance and the circular economy
If the project currently underway were to be successful, the benefits would be considerable. First of all, it is necessary to clear the field of doubt that the complete biomethane production cycle is not convenient from an environmental point of view. Carlo Beatrice, research director of the Motors Institute of Cnrexpert in the production and development of propulsion systems, says: «Scientific studies are unanimous in the conclusion that, in the entire cycle from the recovery of biomass to the production of biomethane, the CO2 balance is negative. This means that I remove carbon dioxide from the environment instead of introducing it.”
In other words, biomethane is a tool circular economy. It is not generally produced through monocultures to the detriment of biodiversity, but through the transformation of organic waste into energy. This translates into a decrease in CO2 emissions and a reduction in waste, valorising livestock waste and agricultural waste whose disposal is in itself problematic.
Technological limits and operational critical issues
Certainly, like any technology, biomethane is not without its critical issues. A first decisive point is the availability of raw materials: sufficient quantities of organic biomass and well-organised separate waste collection are needed. A second crucial point is the risk of methane leaksa very powerful greenhouse gas, during production, transport or compression.
Returning to the advantages of the new green gas, there is good news for the million methane cars still in circulation: «Both the dispensers and the vehicles will be able to function without any modification», explains Beatrice. «Its composition is identical to that of traditional gas».
Prices, incentives and prospects for consumers
It remains to be clarified whether from an economic point of view there will be a gain for the consumer. Biomethane requires systems with higher industrial costs and production is still limited. Furthermore, the fossil methaneespecially after 2023, has returned to relatively low prices. However, the incentives of the biomethane decree 2024–2027 they reduce the industrial cost, making this gas closer to the price of fossil gas. The most realistic forecast is a slightly higher or aligned cost in the short term, with a possible parity within 3–5 years.
The Pnrr and the new notice for agriculture
The July 21, 2025 was published on Directorial Decree 235/2025which gave rise to a new public notice linked to the “Ecological practices” measure of Pnrrdedicated to supporting the production of biomethane. With a total endowment of 193 million eurosthe application desk was opened to interested agricultural businesses, offering non-repayable contributions for the ecological transformation of the plants, their energy modernization and the replacement of vehicles with biomethane solutions. The notice also includes renovations, efficiency improvements and practices agroecology.
Long-term unknowns and the role of politics
Significant concerns intervene to temper this picture: economic sustainability in the long termthe need for new ones infrastructure and the need to standardize the density of agricultural plants in different regions. Politics will be called upon to do its part. If today the Pnrr incentives represent a decisive push, after 2026 a greater one could take over regulatory complexity.
Ultimately, the biomethane represents an extraordinary opportunity to expand and diversify the energy mix of the country. Only through coordinated management of the entire supply chain will it be possible to transform this potential into concrete results, strengthening energy autonomy and the sustainability of Italian mobility.
