Biomethanization: Natran inaugurates the first reverse flow station in Dordogne

This is the second facility of this type in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It was created to accommodate the rapidly growing production of biomethane in the area, which already accounts for the gas consumption of 12,800 households.

On Monday, June 2, Natran (formerly GRTgaz), the main operator of France's gas transmission network, and its partners inaugurated the first reverse gas station in Dordogne, located in Saint-Agne. Financed by Natran to the tune of €2.6 million, the facility can accommodate nearly 90 GWh of biomethane per year, equivalent to the gas consumption of approximately 12,800 homes.

This reverse flow responds to a technical need: the increase in biomethane production by farmers in the area required adapting the network so that gas not consumed locally could be returned to the network to other consumption areas. All this while offering the possibility of accommodating the production of new biomethane farms. This gas is produced by fermentation, in methanizers, of livestock or plant effluents, before being injected into the network.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine is thus realizing its renewable gas production potential, equivalent to the gas consumption of 370,000 homes. In the coming years, this capacity could double, and the Saint-Agne reverse cycle is part of this approach. Périgord already has 17 methanizers and therefore plays an important role in the future of this gas, which is becoming "greener" and contributing to the country's energy independence.

"This reverse cycle was a necessity," says Nelly Jobelot, mayor of Saint-Agne. "It's essential for the region's farmers, who produce biomethane, even if a farmer's primary vocation remains food-producing agriculture. But it's clear that we can no longer live off this activity alone. Renewable energies like biomethane represent a future for them."

To conclude, the intervention of Louis Veyssi and Mathieu Guérin, young methanization farmers from Beaumontois-en-Périgord, allowed us to better understand the role of methanization, their journeys and the need for the Saint-Agne reverse flow station.