Sebigas, leader in providing advanced solutions for biogas and biomethane plants, continues to strengthen its commitment to renewable energy by supporting Italian agricultural businesses on their journey towards sustainability. Currently, Sebigas is collaborating with Salera agricultural company, located in the heart of the Cremona area, where the company previously built a biogas plant for electricity generation in 2011. The plant’s impressive performance and the technological choices implemented led Salera to confirm its trust in Sebigas, commissioning the conversion of the plant from biogas to biomethane.
Salera project: a cutting-edge agricultural plant
Salera, based in Castelvisconti in the province of Cremona, decided to take advantage of government incentives for biomethane production. The company was included in the rankings under the third GSE register on May 10, 2024, as an agricultural plant designated for conversion, with a production capacity of 200 scm/h of biomethane.
To achieve this goal, the company has revised the plant’s feeding, incorporating pig slurry from its own farm, along with other livestock and agricultural by-products, for a total amount of about 40.000 tons per year. Key upgrades include increasing the anaerobic digestion volume through the installation of a new final tank with gas recovery, and adding a biogas-to-biomethane purification line with the infrastructure required to inject it into the gas grid.
As the technology provider, Sebigas is designing and building the conversion works, integrating the existing plant with new facilities. Construction began in September 2024, with final testing scheduled for January 2025.
“Designing the revamping of the plant built in 2011 represents an important demonstration of trust for Sebigas. A sign that highlights that the high performance of the plan has been satisfactory. Sebigas is proud to collaborate with an innovative entrepreneurial agricultural company, strongly oriented towards sustainability” says Federico Torretta, General Manager of Sebigas.
Construction site: building of the new storage tank (site status as of September 2024)
Incentivized innovation: the regulatory context and the transition to biomethane
The biomethane industry in Italy is at a crucial stage due to the recent revisions of the incentive rates by the government. Many companies, including Salera, opted to wait or participate in the third national auction to take advantages of the new rates.
This situation led agricultural companies to a strategic choice: convert their plants for biomethane production to access new and attractive incentives or continue generating electricity under the revised rates. For Salera, the decision to upgrade to biomethane production was made based on a thorough cost-benefit analysis. The May register lists a total of 132 plants, of which 72 are new constructions and 60 are conversions. Salera stands out as one of the few companies to have promptly initiated the construction, thanks to meticulous planning and a solid business plan.
Sebigas: an outstanding technology partner
The success of projects like Salera highlights Sebigas’ ability to adapt to market demands and offer cutting-edge technological solutions in compliance with government standards. The company’s expertise extends beyond project design to complete site management and technical support, ensuring optimal long-term plant performance.
Through this collaboration with Salera, Sebigas strengthens its role as a key player in the energy transition of the Italian agricultural sector, contributing to a sustainable model based on renewable energy and circular economy.
Sebigas Marketing & Communication Manager
Letizia Mariani – l.mariani@sebigas.it
Sebigas Press Office
Mediatyche SB
Sara Orsenigo – sara.orsenigo@mediatyche.it
Elena Rabaglio – elena.rabaglio@mediatyche.it