Biogas as a pillar of the energy transition
Europe is firmly engaged in the race towards climate neutrality by 2050. In this scenario, biogases (biogas and biomethane) have emerged not only as an energy alternative but as a multidimensional solution to systemic challenges: the management of organic waste, the decarbonisation of heavy transport and industry, and the strengthening of the circular economy.
In Spain, the Biogas Roadmap sets a minimum production target of 10.41 TWh per year by 2030, almost quadrupling 2020 output. Autonomous communities with a strong primary sector, such as Catalonia, have launched their own strategies — for example, the Catalan Biogas Strategy 2024-2030, aimed at managing 8.5 million tonnes of organic material.
However, the development of this infrastructure faces an obstacle that often goes beyond the technical and the financial: social acceptance. For a developer or investor, obtaining the administrative, environmental and urban-planning authorisations is only part of the equation; the other, equally critical part is ensuring the project is well received at local and regional level.
The legal framework: between climate obligation and local control
The push for biogas is not an arbitrary choice but a response to a dense regulatory web:
- European level: the RED II and RED III Directives set binding renewable-energy targets and strict sustainability and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission-reduction criteria. In addition, the REPowerEU plan targets production of 35 billion cubic metres of biomethane by 2030.
- National level: Law 7/2021 on climate change and the energy transition and the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) consolidate biogas and biomethane as a strategic tool.
- Regional level: several autonomous communities are promoting the development of biogas projects through regulation. This is the case in Catalonia, which — through Law 16/2017, the Energy Outlook for the 2050 horizon and the 2030 Bioeconomy Strategy — seeks to provide a stable regulatory framework to help expand biogas as a source of renewable energy generation.
From a legal standpoint, the complexity lies in the fact that these projects are subject to rules of various kinds: animal health, industrial, urban planning, emissions, noise and odours. This regulatory fragmentation often fuels public uncertainty and complicates the permitting process.
The NIMBY phenomenon and the perception of risk
Despite broad support for clean energy, local resistance commonly arises when a specific biogas plant is proposed. This phenomenon, known as NIMBY (Not In My Backyard), is sometimes compounded by NIMTO (Not In My Term Of Office), referring to politicians who avoid decisions seen as unpopular during their mandate.
Indeed, the Catalan Biogas Strategy explicitly identifies “social opposition to waste-treatment plants” as a cross-cutting barrier. This opposition often stems from confusion: many citizens perceive biogas plants as incinerators or landfills, unaware that they are natural biological-process facilities that reduce environmental impact compared with traditional waste management.
Debunking residents’ concerns
Precisely in order to address social acceptance from a technical and legal standpoint, the European Biogas Association (EBA) published in 2025 the report Beyond the plant: aligning biogas projects with community needs. The report analyses the most common concerns and the solutions that current technology offers:
1. Odour management
This is often the main fear. However, anaerobic digestion is a biological process that takes place in sealed tanks (digesters) in the absence of oxygen, which prevents odorous gases from being released into the atmosphere, unlike the open-air decomposition of manure or slurry. Modern plants also use biofilters and extraction systems in the reception areas to minimise any impact.
2. Road traffic and noise
A medium-sized biomethane project (44 GWh/year) generates roughly 10 truck movements per day. The EBA concludes that this is comparable to the traffic of a local supermarket. Legally, mobility plans and acoustic-impact studies are prerequisites that ensure traffic is scheduled outside rest hours and that cogeneration engines are soundproofed.
3. Landscape impact
Visual integration is key. Urban-planning rules usually require setbacks and vegetation screens. The use of neutral colours on the digesters or the partial burial of tanks are measures developers adopt to harmonise the plant with its rural surroundings.
4. Safety and health
Biogas is a mature technology with strict industrial-safety protocols. The law requires gas-detection systems, forced ventilation and thorough staff training, which reduces operational risks to negligible levels for the neighbouring community.
Biogas as a driver of rural development and the circular economy
To change the perception from “waste plant” to “resource-processing facility”, it is vital to communicate the tangible local benefits:
- Demographic challenge: locating biogas production in rural areas helps retain population by creating direct and indirect green jobs. Each GWh of biogas generated is estimated to create 0.32 direct and 0.77 indirect jobs.
- Digestate as fertiliser: the by-product of the process, the digestate, is a high-quality organic fertiliser that replaces synthetic mineral fertilisers, reducing nitrate pollution of aquifers and improving soil health.
- Energy communities: biogas makes it possible to create local heat networks and energy communities, where neighbours can benefit from renewable energy at a lower cost.
Strategies for developers: engagement from day one
European experience shows that social acceptance is not an insurmountable obstacle but an opportunity to improve the project design. The EBA report and the national strategies agree on several guiding principles:
- Early, transparent communication: engagement should begin in the planning phase, not when the machinery is already on site. This prevents unreliable sources from spreading misinformation.
- Identifying local partners: involve farmers’ and livestock associations and municipal bodies from the outset.
- Two-way dialogue: it is not just about informing but about listening to concerns and adapting the project (for example, changing a traffic route or reinforcing a vegetation screen).
- Sustainability certifications: the use of environmental sustainability labels and guarantees of origin (GoO) strengthens public confidence in the project’s added value compared with fossil fuels.
The critical role of legal advice
Aligning biogas projects with the applicable rules is a decisive factor in increasing their social acceptance. Scrupulous compliance with legal requirements and procedures — urban-planning and environmental, among others — is key to ensuring that both public administrations and citizens support the project.
Precisely in order to avoid the slowdown and litigation of projects, it is essential to have prior legal advice that sets out the steps to follow in each of the processing, construction and operation phases of the biogas plant.
Conclusion
Biogas is an indispensable piece in achieving decarbonisation in Spain. Deploying it requires a delicate balance between compliance with demanding technical rules and empathetic, human and social management. In fact, when communities understand that these plants are not a threat but a driver of the circular economy that protects their environment and creates local wealth, resistance turns into collaboration. That is why placing citizens at the centre of projects is not only good ethical practice but, today more than ever, a requirement for lasting success.
