Metabarri plant begins converting organic waste to biomethane in Bizkaia

The Metabarri plant has commenced operations at the Artigas Ecopark in Bizkaia, marking Spain’s first public-private partnership facility to manage the entire biometanization process in a single location. The plant receives organic waste from brown recycling bins, processes it to generate biogas, purifies it into biomethane, and injects it directly into the natural gas transport network.

Funded by a 25 million euro investment, including over 17 million euros from Next Generation funds, the project is a collaboration between the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, the Basque Energy Agency (EVE), and PreZero. The facility is capable of treating up to 50,000 tons of organic matter annually.

At full capacity, the plant will generate enough renewable energy to supply approximately 12,700 homes per year. The use of biomethane is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95% compared to fossil fuels, supporting industrial decarbonization and the Euskadi 2030 Industrial Plan.