The project to produce biomethane from livestock at the Catalan Torre Santamaría family farm, located in Vallfogona de Balaguer (Lleida), has received a strong boost following the acquisition of 80% of its ownership by the companies Axpo Iberia, a subsidiary of the Swiss company Axpo, and Sorigué, with each purchasing 40%. This pioneering initiative in Spain was launched following the signing   of a biomethane purchase and sale agreement in 2020 between the Torre Santamaría farm and Axpo Iberia.

The project’s innovation lies in the source of the biomethane, which is none other than livestock waste from this Lleida cattle farm. After an investment of 4 million euros, the farm started producing this renewable gas in February 2022. It currently injects 26 gigawatt-hours of biomethane into the gas grid per year.

Multiplying production
Following the sale and purchase transaction, which represents a new step in Axpo's involvement in this project, the farm will more than quadruple its biomethane production to 115 gigawatt-hours per year. This will be possible following the investment of a further 15 million euros, as announced by the two new co-owners.

The project, which has yet to be approved by the regulatory authorities, is expected to create 35 direct jobs. These figures enable it to be seen as a strategic project, since as well as ensuring that over 40% of its suppliers are based in Catalonia, it is also committed to various actions relating to renewable energies, the circular economy and environmental sustainability.

Organic by-products
The farm, whose main source of income comes from producing some 22 million litres of milk per year, not only transforms methane gas from its cows' manure into biomethane for injection into the grid. It also uses this as clean energy for its own operations and obtains a number of by-products from the other steps in the process, such as organic and ecological fertilisers, which it can reuse as fertiliser for its pastures.

The Sorigué group, which specialises in renewable electricity generation projects, joined the project in December 2022. In addition to adding the use of organic livestock waste (to convert into energy) to its portfolio of services, it aims to provide expertise in fields such as transport, waste management and treatment, as well as reusing nutrients.

^{Photo: Axpo Iberia}