Benavente, Portugal, Sept. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - Ferbgás Renováveis is to invest €20 million in the construction of a biomethane production unit in the district of Santarém, with start-up scheduled for the first half of 2026, the company announced on Thursday.
According to a statement, the new infrastructure will have the capacity to produce around 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) of biomethane per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 8,000 homes.
The renewable gas used in this equipment can also be used directly in the industrial, agricultural and road sectors.
"What we're doing in Benavente is solving a real problem for the region's producers - giving waste an environmentally appropriate destination, unlocking growth and generating clean energy with economic viability," said Rafael Ferrari, Ferbgás' executive chairman, quoted in a statement.
Named "Benavente Bioenergy", the unit is part of the company's strategic plan "to promote the energy transition". It will work as a recipient of agricultural waste from the region, namely "manure and slurry from cattle and small ruminant farms", allowing local producers to "fulfil environmental requirements" and expand their activity "in a sustainable way".
As well as producing renewable energy, the project also provides for the recovery of by-products, such as the biofertiliser resulting from anaerobic digestion, which will be returned to the local agricultural economy.
"This promotes the organic fertilisation of soils and closes the circular economy cycle," reads the statement.
According to the statement, the plant is scheduled to start operating at the beginning of 2027. It is expected to create 10 to 15 direct jobs and more than 30 indirect jobs in the areas of logistics, maintenance, agricultural operations and services.
The company says that this investment is part of a wider plan to invest more than €200 million in the construction of 10 biomethane production units in Portugal by 2030, adding that it is also developing its first international project in Spain.
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