Large-scale biogas plant to be built in Brazil receives funding

Supporting the country’s push for lower carbon energy, a new biogas production plant to be constructed in Sao Paulo, Brazil will generate low carbon energy from biodegradable waste.

Equipped with two digesters, a gasometer and motor generators, the plant will have the capacity to produce 4.5mcm (million cubic metres) of biomethane with an installed capacity of 2.15 MW for electricity generation.

By replacing diesel with clean biofuels, the project aims to avoid nearly two million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over its lifespan – equivalent to the emissions generated by 44,000 vehicles on the roads in the same period.

The $10m plant is being developed by CRI GEO Biogás, a company that emerged from a partnership with recycling specialist Grupo Crivellaro and Geo Biogás& Tech.

80% of funding for the project will be supplied by Brazil’s National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) with resources transferred by the National Fund on Climate Change (FNMC) within the scope of the Climate Fund Program.

In addition to biomethane, the plant will produce more than nine thousand tonnes per year of biofertilizer to be used to support the country’s agriculture industry.

Part of the electricity generated at the facility will be used by CRI GEO Biogas itself with the surplus injected into the distribution network.