The Brazilian biomethane market has reached a new level of maturity and is consolidating its expansion through the practical advancement of new ventures. A survey by the Brazilian Association of Biogas and Biomethane (ABiogás), based on data from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), reveals that, in a context of regulatory advances for the sector, the country has reached the mark of 20 biomethane plants formally authorized by the ANP, totaling an installed capacity of 1,331,401 m³/day.

Since the approval of the Future Fuel Law, 12 new plants have been authorized, adding 714,240 m³/day of capacity to the country. Currently, the national biofuel production infrastructure is divided between 11 Urban Solid Waste (RSU) plants in sanitary landfills and 09 units focused on the treatment of agri-forestry-livestock and commercial organic waste.

The commercial and regulatory dynamism is supported by a trajectory of accelerated growth: the biomethane sector recorded a 5x expansion in its installed capacity between 2020 and 2025. This movement follows the trend of leading states in the energy transition, such as São Paulo, which recorded a 235% increase in the issuance of environmental licenses for biogas and biomethane projects between 2024 and 2025, jumping from 26 to 87 licenses issued by CETESB.

For ABiogás, biomethane is consolidating itself as a strategic vector for the decarbonization of the Brazilian economy, promoting autonomy and energy security, with price predictability and waste recovery.

"The global energy debate has moved to a new level, and the energy transition has come to incorporate energy security, industrial competitiveness, and national sovereignty. In this scenario, biomethane gains a strategic position: with high equivalence to natural gas, it can be used in the existing infrastructure, enabling a more efficient, competitive, and predictable transition," evaluates ABiogás CEO Josiani Napolitano (photo).

Pipeline indicates more than double the current capacity

The sector’s pipeline signals that the pace of growth should intensify in the short term. Today, there are 50 plants undergoing authorization by the ANP, which together add another 2,035,125 m³/day of potential production capacity. The profile of the new projects demonstrates the strength of interior expansion and the diversification of feedstocks: there are 24 agro-industrial projects, 20 focused on RSU in landfills, 5 involving codigestion (a mixture of different residues), and 1 with no reported profile. By 2030, the overall projection indicates a jump to around 7 million m³/day and nearly 200 plants across the country.

This acceleration of private investment, estimated by the association as having the potential to mobilize up to R$ 348 billion and generate around 798 thousand jobs in the country, gained additional regulatory support with the creation of the Natural Gas Sector Decarbonization and Biomethane Incentive Program.

The regulatory framework is completed by the regulation of the Biomethane Certificate of Guarantee of Origin (CGOB). The mechanism allows the physical separation between the environmental backing (the certificate) and the gas molecule, inaugurating an unprecedented dynamic of monetization and pricing of the positive externalities of the biofuel in Brazil.

"The approval of the Future Fuel Law and the regulation of the CGOB represent important steps toward consolidating a structured renewable gas market in Brazil, bringing greater regulatory predictability for investors and consumers," emphasizes the president of ABiogás.

The market projects that 2026 will be marked by the beginning of compliance with mandatory decarbonization targets by players in the gas sector. The sector expects the issuance of the first Biomethane Certificate of Guarantee of Origin (CGOB), an indispensable step for the beginning of the counting of legal obligations and for the full entry into operation of the mechanisms provided for in the Future Fuel Law.