Surge in biomethane applications signals growing momentum

Cadent Gas has received 38 applications to build or expand biomethane plants across the UK, highlighting growing confidence in the sector.

The projects are spread across the east of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and north west, reflecting broad national interest in scaling biomethane production.

These are the first applications under Cadent’s new cluster approach, supported by Ofgem. The model is designed to make projects more viable by allowing developers in constrained areas to share infrastructure and reinforcement costs.

Biomethane is already playing a role in today’s energy system. Cadent currently has 47 connected sites delivering around 4 TWh of energy, with ambitions to reach 20 TWh by 2035.

Howard Forster, Chief Operating Officer at Cadent, emphasised the importance of this progress, noting that biomethane is delivering carbon savings now and will continue to be a key part of the UK’s energy future.

Developers will soon receive initial cost assessments, helping them decide whether to move forward to the next stage.

The momentum behind biomethane reflects a wider shift in how the UK and Europe are thinking about energy resilience. With ongoing concerns around imported gas and global supply pressures, solutions like anaerobic digestion are increasingly seen as practical, scalable and strategic.

At the same time, the UK government continues to support the transition to cleaner energy, while recognising the ongoing role of gas in maintaining energy security.

Read more: Biomethane developers file 38 applications for new or expanded UK plants in first cost sharing assessment window