the gas sector promises a green and frugal future

The subject is posed: “The gas sector needs to go green to ensure the resilience of the French energy system and respond to crisis situations”explains Sandrine Meunier, CEO of GRTgaz. On the positive side, this movement is already underway and well underway. “The production of renewable gas in France has already exceeded the targets set for it. All the indicators are green.”rejoices Laurence Poirier-Dietz, general manager of GRDF. It is still necessary not to break this beautiful dynamic.

THE «Perspectives 2035»presented this Thursday by the sector, report 60 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable gas produced in France by the sector in 2030 and 120 in 2035. Enough to ensure 20% of French consumption by the end of this decade, with mainly agricultural biomethane from methanizers, these large circular installations developed on farms. From 2030, other technologies, such as pyrogasification which makes it possible to produce gas from dry wood waste, should further strengthen production capacities. The advantage of these sectors is that they do not compete with others, in particular food and the production of biomaterials for construction.

At the same time, gas consumption will continue to fall, from 400 TWh in 2023 to 320 TWh in 2030 and 282 TWh in 2035. This development is driven by efforts made in terms of energy efficiency (development of industrial processes, insulation of buildings, installation of high energy performance boilers), moderation and also by the electrification of uses. “Global warming also leads to a decline in heating needs. But we must not neglect the increase in atypical episodes, with peaks of cold and peaks of consumption.”warns Sandrine Meunier.

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Natural gas, “a simple way to decarbonize heavy transport, buses, trucks and coaches”

However, to overcome these peaks without having to significantly increase electricity production, gas remains a simple solution. Either through hybrid installations, such as hybrid heat pumps (HP) (operating on electricity most of the time and using gas to overcome peaks) or with small HPs coupled with boilers.

In addition to the construction sector, industry and transport remain gas consumers. The first, because certain processes require gas, either because they require high temperatures that are still unattainable with electricity, or as a raw material, in chemistry for example. “Natural gas for vehicles (NGV) and more particularly bioNGV is a simple means of decarbonizing heavy transport, buses, trucks and coaches”insists Laurence Poirier-Dietz, who is counting on the 2027 review clause to escape the axe of the end of marketing of thermal engine vehicles set for 2035 for light vehicles and 2040 for heavy vehicles. The bioNGV sector hopes to escape this ban, adorned with its renewable virtues.