By Anadolu Agency
October 3, 2026 5:37 amTürkiye is looking to turn biogas produced from waste into biomethane and supply the renewable gas to European markets under a memorandum of understanding between Turkish energy company Biotrend and Germany-based Uniper.
Biotrend Enerji, part of Doganlar Holding, and Germany-based Uniper will explore converting existing waste-based biogas plants to produce biomethane production and developing new capacity.
The companies will assess the suitability of Biotrend’s existing plants for biomethane production and options for bringing the gas to European markets.
Subject to the necessary regulations in Türkiye and European certification requirements, the biomethane could be injected into Türkiye’s natural gas grid and transported toward Greece or Bulgaria where it would enter the EU market.
Türkiye has untapped biomethane potential of up to 50 terawatt-hours a year.
The agreement covers the initial project-development stage and does not amount to an investment or purchase commitment. Potential sales volumes, pricing and other commercial terms have yet to be determined.
– Project offers long-term market potential
Uniper CEO Michael Lewis told Anadolu after signing the deal in Istanbul that the agreement would allow the companies to explore whether biomethane from Türkiye could be brought to Germany.
“We need to clarify some regulatory, commercial and technical issues,” he said.
Lewis said the project was still at an early stage but could offer significant long-term market potential.
“At this stage, we’re just exploring how we might do it. It’s at an early stage, so we think there’s a significant market potential in the long term,” he said.
Asked about the ultimate goal, Lewis said: “Ultimately, it would be importing biomethane into Europe from Türkiye.” “To Germany ultimately, or into the European Union.”
Lewis said no specific pipeline or route had yet been decided.
– Biomethane value chain extending from Türkiye to world
Doganlar Holding Group CEO Hakan Goral said the agreement with Uniper marked an important first step toward bringing Türkiye’s biogas potential into the growing biomethane market.
Goral said Biotrend’s portfolio of facilities across Türkiye had the potential to produce around 1.4 terawatt-hours of biomethane annually.
“Our priority is to start with the facilities that have the highest biomethane potential and move forward gradually, while preserving as much of the existing infrastructure as possible, maximizing economic value and delivering the greatest possible environmental benefit,” he said.
Goral said the first stage would involve feasibility studies to determine whether existing facilities were technically and economically suitable for biomethane production.
“We will assess not only biogas production capacity but also the ability to upgrade the gas, the location of the facilities, the characteristics and continuity of the feedstock, existing infrastructure, carbon intensity and whether the biomethane meets sustainability criteria accepted in Türkiye and Europe,” he said.
In the second stage, Biotrend plans to develop pilot and commercial-scale projects at selected facilities to upgrade biogas into biomethane, separate carbon dioxide, improve gas quality and establish the necessary measurement and certification infrastructure.
The third stage would focus on bringing the biomethane to suitable markets, Goral said, adding that Uniper’s experience in European energy trading and supply chains would play an important role.
“At Biotrend, we aim to pioneer biomethane development in Türkiye by not only converting biogas into biomethane but also, in line with our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040, building a biomethane value chain extending from Türkiye to Europe and the rest of the world, with verified sustainability and traceability,” he said.
“By producing biomethane that can be traded in European and global markets, with certified sustainability and verifiable carbon-reduction performance, we will help create a new circular economy model that uses Türkiye’s existing organic waste and biogas potential not only for electricity generation but also for renewable gas.”
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