Biostrevent Energie was created by two families of young farmers between 25 and 35 years old in Monchecourt (France) with the challenge of producing biomethane for injection into the local GRDF network that supplies an area of close to 150.000 inhabitants. Between both investment families they have some 700 hectares of crops and 200 cows.
The idea of a biogas plant arose from the desire for innovation in the rural world, long-term investment and the need for one of the two farms to cover a manure pit. The drafting of the project, requesting aid and obtaining permits required about 24 months and included a specialized consulting firm, while the construction was carried out in 14 months with local companies and the Belgian firm. Bio-Dynamics for the tanks. They received 9% direct aid and financing was not a very complex task.
It was launched in December 2021, and produces its biogas from dairy effluents, intermediate crops and byproducts of the regional agri-food industry. They require about 100 tons of substrate per day, which correspond to the 35.000 tons they consume per year. A third is slurry and manure from their farms and other neighboring farms that they buy at around €4,5/t, a third from intermediate crops such as rye and corn, and another third from substrates such as starch, glycerin or other sugars that they acquire through of waste managers established in the area such as HEADQUARTERS-Veolia.
Depending on the market situation, the diet may vary with other products produced in-house or not, such as pulp. As farmers they have two annual crops, one of silage rye as an intermediate crop, with a production of about 40t/ha and whose market value is between €40 and €45/t; and the other is corn, which they sometimes also ensile with productions of around 45 t/ha. Being farmers, they know firsthand the costs and sales price of these products.
The plant has two digesters, a post-digester and a digester tank. About 30.000 tons are produced each year and they spread it directly on their 700 hectares, although they have another 1400 hectares available for this work. All are less than 7 km away from the plant and have estimated costs of €6 per ton.
It currently injects 300 Nm3 of biomethane every hour it buys ENGIE, which corresponds approximately to 25GWh/year. This renewable gas production is equivalent to the consumption of more than 2.000 homes. In these two years, their biggest concern has been, and is, the electrical cost of the plant, which is estimated at 1,8 GWh/year, and which thanks to the increase in compensation from the French State they have overcome well, but they see with some risk in the future, as with any investment.
Further information:
https://www.veolia.com/latamib/es/casos-estudio/artois-methanisation
