Gas distributor DEDA is still awaiting a license that would establish the company as a biomethane operator seven months it submitted a related application to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy.

DEDA lodged its license application to RAE on December 6, 2021 as part of its effort to move ahead with the country’s first biomethane distribution pilot projects.

Over the past two years, DEDA has been working on procedures for the establishment of legal and regulatory frameworks needed for commercial utilization of biomethane through the distribution networks it operates.

DEDA has already signed memorandums of cooperation with two biogas producers entailing upgrades of their facilities for production of biomethane, to be injected into networks and distributed as a mix with natural gas.

The first biomethane distribution pilot project is planned for the Nigrita area in Serres, northern Greece, to primarily supply household and business consumers. A second project, in Alexandria, Imathia, also in the country’s north, is planned to supply mostly industrial consumers.

Furthermore, on July 4, DEDA submitted a complete proposal to the energy ministry for the development of a biomethane market in Greece, based on revisions to laws concerning biogas, renewables and natural gas distribution. This proposal puts the price of biomethane below that of natural gas.