Ólvega biomethane plant cleared to treat 59,000 tonnes of waste a year

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Castilla y León's agriculture and environment department has amended the environmental permit for Biolvegas, S.L.'s anaerobic digestion and biomethane plant in Ólvega. The order, signed by regional minister Joaquín Antonio Pino on 17 September 2026 and published on Thursday in the regional bulletin, rolls the company's fifth and sixth non-substantial changes, filed in August 2025 and June 2026, into one decision. The plant may now treat 59,000 tonnes of waste a year, up from 49,213, or 161.6 tonnes a day.

That should yield 21.2 million kWh of biogas a year, with more than 20.7 million kWh of biomethane sent into the natural gas grid. On site, the plant replaces its main biogas boiler with a natural gas one, adds a natural gas backup boiler, and expects to burn less natural gas thanks to 50 kW of electric heating. A 547.66 kWp solar array for self-consumption is also approved.

The conditions cover noise, capped at 65 decibels by day and 55 at night, and smell: nearby homes must stay within five odour units per cubic metre at the 98th percentile, a windsock will tell staff where the air is heading, and a six-month olfactometric study will cover a three-kilometre radius. Some 43,000 tonnes of digestate a year may become fertiliser if it meets EU criteria, or go straight onto farmland.