The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) will finance the development of a biogas and electricity production plant from biodegradable waste. CRI GEO Biogás is building the plant in the municipality of Elias Fausto, in the State of São Paulo. The BNDES support will amount to R$ 44 million, that is, about 80% of the total value of the investment of R$ 56.2 million, and will be awarded through the National Fund for Climate Change (FNMC), within the scope of the Climate Fund Program, supplemented with own financing from BNDES.
The plant will have two biodigesters, a gasometer and motor generators, it will have an installed capacity of 2.15 MW of electricity generation and will be able to produce 4.5 million m³ of biomethane annually, in addition to more than 9,000 tons of biofertilizers per year. It is expected to start operations in March 2024.
The project will contribute to mitigating climate change, promoting the use of biofuels to replace diesel. It is estimated that the CO2 emissions avoided during the 20-year life of the project reach 1.76 million tons, which is equivalent to the emissions generated by 44,000 vehicles circulating in the same period.
CRI GEO Biogás will use biodegradable waste from large industries located in the vicinity of the plant to produce the biomethane. Thus, in addition to ensuring the proper disposal of this material, the project will also promote the capture of methane (a greenhouse gas 34 times more harmful in the atmosphere than CO2) that would be emitted by the decomposition of organic waste.
Part of the electricity generated will be consumed by CRI GEO Biogás itself and the surplus will be injected into the distribution network of the local energy concessionaire. The biomethane produced will be able to replace the diesel consumed by the CRI GEO Biogás fleet, in addition to being marketed to industries that currently use fossil fuels. The biofertilizer, a 100% organic by-product generated in the production process, will be used as fertilizer in the agricultural areas of the region.
Photo: CRI GEO Biogás
Source: BNDES