EECA investigates regional biogas potential

1 October 2025

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has launched its investigation of regional biogas potential, as announced by the Minister of Energy, Simon Watts, at the recent Biogas Bridge forum.

Speaking to Energy News recently, EECA chief executive Marcos Pelenur says the biogas programme will be similar to the authority's regional energy transition accelerator studies.

It will look at the potential for biogas development in each region, including demand and possible feedstocks.

One of the challenges biogas and biomass development has faced is competitive tension for the waste stream "because there's multiple uses of that waste stream", Pelenur says.

EECA will build a clearer picture of the organic waste feedstocks available and quantify the value of the various streams to help inform development decisions.

"We're going through the country, starting in the areas that make the most sense to really properly identify from the bottom up where the supply opportunities are for biogas and where the demand might be," he told Energy News.

By publishing all the data it gathers and being transparent, EECA will "link up the developers with the energy users, and it'll unlock that fuel source".

Interest in biogas is growing as current fossil gas supplies decline, creating shortages and cost increases - not just for generation - but also for small and medium-sized gas-using businesses.

"We think biogas is a really interesting market.

"It's not going to solve all of our gas supply issues - but there is a lot of organic waste that could be better used to help supply and put that kind of downward pressure on costs," Pelenur says.