The All-gas project, located in the Southern Spanish town of Chiclana, is led by the world’s third largest water company, FCC Aqualia, along with five other organizations from Germany (Fraunhofer – Gesellschaft), Austria (BDI), the Netherlands (Feyecon y Hygear) and the UK (University of Southampton). Of the project’s initial €12 million development funding, €7.1 comes from the EU, en lieu of its FP7 program and its aim for 10% of energy used in transport to be from renewable resources by 2020. The initial fuel from the project is planned to run the city’s buses and garbage trucks.

Launched in 2011, the five-year All-gas project has completed its first of three planned stages in July. A 200 square meter facility has produced an algae harvest which shows a high energy potential, with a methane production capacity at between 200 and 300 liters of gas per kilogram of processed biomass. The project’s second stage constructing a one hectare prototype biomass plant is underway and the planned final stage would see a 10 hectare plant completed by 2016. 

Investing in algae as opposed to crops as the basis for biofuels is far more sustainable. Although direct CO₂ emissions would be limited with any biofuel, indirect emissions and increased land-use would result from crop-based biofuels. Bellona therefore supports the development of 2^nd generation biofuels (derived from wood residue and non-edible food) and 3^rd generation biofuels (derived from algae).

This stand is also in line with recent EU initiatives. The European Parliament’s Environment and Food Safety committee (ENVI) in July passed a report calling for the limitation of crop-based biofuels. The plenary vote is expected on September 10.

Read more about Bellona’s biofuel initiative, the Sahara Forest Project

All-Gas project website