France Feeds Its Grid From the Farm

Plenitude and Methagora lock in a massive 15-year biomethane deal, testing France's market-driven push to clean up its national gas grid

19 May 2026

France’s renewable gas sector has recorded its first major commercial test under a new state framework designed to shift the cost of green energy from taxpayers to energy vendors.

Eni subsidiary Plenitude and agricultural biomethane specialist Methagora have finalised a 15-year supply agreement. The contract covers 50 gigawatt-hours of certified biomethane annually, marking one of the earliest partnerships to translate France's Biomethane Production Certificates (BPC) framework into binding commercial terms.

Launched in January, the BPC mechanism obliges energy suppliers to buy a rising share of biomethane directly from the national gas grid. This model replaces older feed-in tariff regimes that relied heavily on state subsidies. By creating a market-driven mandate, regulators aim to give producers the long-term revenue certainty required to fund grid injection infrastructure without straining public finances.

Rather than building new plants, Methagora is retrofitting existing farm-based sites with purifiers and compressors to enable direct grid injection. The company already has five facilities operating under this model. It has sold 35 gigawatt-hours in volumes so far and plans to double its capacity by the end of the year, tracking faster timelines than traditional greenfield projects.

The 15-year horizon represents an unusually long commitment for the European gas market. For Plenitude, which serves nearly one million retail customers in France, the deal secures the certified supply needed to meet regulatory targets. Florent Thouminot, chief executive of Methagora, confirmed deliveries will begin at the opening of the official obligation period.

The transaction provides a crucial template for Europe's wider biomethane ambitions. The continent aims to produce 35 billion cubic metres of the gas annually by 2030. France currently trails Germany, Italy, and Denmark in total output, and developers have long warned that financing for new projects stalls without committed buyers over long horizons.

Whether this specific contract structure becomes the industry standard remains to be seen. The long-term success of the BPC framework depends on whether it can attract enough private capital to replicate the agricultural retrofit model at scale across the country.