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<\/p>\nBiogas provides a bridging solution for datacentre operators, but the market is still small<\/p>\n
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Pure Data Centres has announced what it claims is Europe\u2019s first large-scale cross-border biomethane deal for a datacentre, using imported renewable energy to \u201cfully decarbonise\u201d operations at its Dublin facility.<\/p>\n
Pure DC\u2019s Dublin campus<\/a> is powered by a \u201cmicrogrid\u201d – generation and storage infrastructure that can be run independently of the main grid. It was built to comply with Ireland\u2019s recently introduced legislation which permits self-power. Those rules also stipulate that at least 80% of annual electricity demand must be matched by new renewable generation.<\/p>\n Pure DC says it transferred 9GWh of certified biomethane from Germany into Ireland\u2019s gas grid over a seven-day period, offsetting the natural gas used to power the Dublin facility.<\/p>\n The move is intended to demonstrate that gas-powered datacentres can be decarbonised \u201cat operational scale\u201d, the London-based company says, and forms part of its strategy to achieve net-zero operations by 2040.<\/p>\n Speed to power<\/p>\n Unlike conventional renewable energy procurement, the biomethane is not delivered directly to the site. Instead, it is \u201cmass balanced\u201d through European gas networks, with renewable gas certificates tracked via Ireland\u2019s Renewable Gas Registry.<\/p>\n Maria Jose Rivas Duarte, director of sustainability at Pure DC, told Computing the initiative is designed to demonstrate a new route for the datacentre sector, which until recently was blocked from building new infrastructure in the Dublin area because of power constraints.<\/p>\n Biomethane is seen by Pure DC as a bridging measure rather an end goal, Rivas Duarte explained.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now microgrids and renewable gas are part of transitional measures away from traditional grid connections and renewable PPAs [power purchase agreements] viable a national grid, which are pretty much always preferred.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever it\u2019s clear throughout Europe that national grids cannot keep up with demands, so microgrids and decarbonising form a valuable approach to bridge speed-to-power with speed-to-market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe success of the Dublin project is proof that data centres can now be decarbonised at scale with the use of biomethane.\u201d<\/p>\n Biomethane, which is derived largely from agricultural and food waste, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 42% and 70%<\/a> compared with natural gas, according to researchers at Imperial College London.<\/p>\n Asked about cost comparisons with natural gas, Rivas Duarte declined to disclose figures, instead describing biomethane as a \u201ccommercially viable alternative\u201d. German biomethane is currently cheaper than that produced by the nascent Irish market, she added.<\/p>\n \u201cPure\u2019s belief is that the work they do alongside [the Irish government and regulators] to investigate the potential to invigorate that market with proven approaches can help the Irish Large Energy Users policy and Climate Action Plan.\u201d<\/p>\n Biomethane market is small but growing<\/p>\n The viability of biomethane as a decarbonisation strategy depends heavily on the scale and maturity of supply.<\/p>\n Across Europe, installed production capacity reached 7 billion cubic meters (bcm)<\/a> (roughly 72 TWh) annually by the end of Q1 2025, up 9% from 2024.<\/p>\n Germany is Europe\u2019s second-largest producer of biomethane, after France. Ireland is targeting 5.7TWh of domestic biomethane production<\/a> annually by 2030, while the UK is on track to produce around 50TWh<\/a> by the same date.<\/p>\n But while biomethane production is growing, it represents a relatively small share of total gas consumption in Europe (around 3,500 TWh). Scaling supply to meet the mounting demands of datacentres – alongside industrial and residential demand – will require sustained investment in production, transport and certification infrastructure.<\/p>\n The demand is certainly there. With waiting times for grid connections extending to five or ten years \u2013 or even more – biomethane and microgrids offer both sustainability credentials and rapid implementation.<\/p>\n There may be cost advantages for datacentre operators too.<\/p>\n