Generating heat, power & biomethane out of waste

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The Lorraine-based Méthavalor plant was the first methanisation site in France to simultaneously produce electricity, heat and biomethane ready for dispatching to the grid. It has a unique system of waste separation by flux, developed so as to make it easier to recover biowaste.

Sydeme, the syndicate for the transport and treatment of household waste in the eastern Moselle, manages the project. Sydeme is responsible for the treatment and transport of household waste in the region, covering 14 local authorities formed by 298 communes to comprise nearly 385.000 inhabitants. Every year, 45.000 tonnes of waste are processed through anaerobic digestion and turned into biomethane, which is injected into the gas grid by GRDF (Gaz Réseau Distribution France)–the main natural gas distribution network operator of the country.

The production of biomethane, electricity and heat fits into the circular economy model as waste is reused to produce biogas, which is then upgraded to biomethane quality before being injected into the grid. This biomethane is also used to fuel the fleet used for waste collection. The digestate from the production of biogas is used as fertiliser but also composted in an environmentally friendly way. The biomethane injected supplies 375 households with green gas every year.