Valle de Cauca, Colombia, March 2024: atmosfair is now building a biogas plant in the west of the South American country. To this end, we have signed a funding and development contract with the company Hanke S.A.S.-E.S.P., which is building the pilot plant in Buga. Once completed, it will convert up to 12 tons of waste from food trade and landscape conservation into 1,800 m³ of biogas every day. This is the first atmosfair project in South America whose CO₂ reductions we will have certified.

atmosfair project manager Ute Werner explains how the plant protects our climate: “A lot of organic waste rots in landfill sites and releases methane, which is 27 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide. With the biogas plant, we capture it and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere.” Then, we use the methane as a source of energy to generate electricity. “Despite the enormous potential, there are hardly any biogas plants in Colombia that consistently focus on a regional circular economy. The aim is to establish a sustainable and economically viable model that can be replicated throughout the country,” says Tobias Hanke, Managing Director of the construction and operating company, describing the importance of the project for the country.

Pilot plant as a model for the circular economy

At the end of November 2024, we asked people and companies in the region whether they had any wishes or concerns regarding the biogas plant, which we will take into account in the further implementation. This stakeholder consultation is required by Gold Standard, where we register our project and which certifies the greenhouse gas reductions of the biogas plant. During the public consultation, Hanke already concluded contracts with local companies for the purchase of organic waste. Hanke will complete the construction of the pilot plant this year. Following the gradual commissioning, it will be running at full capacity in 2026 and will serve as an example for other, larger plants in the region. Hanke will support us in signing a Corresponding Adjustments Agreement with the Colombian government. The biogas project will then be eligible for carbon offsetting under the new rules of the Paris Agreement.

Leftovers from food trade and landscape conservation

The biogas plant is being built on the campus of the SENA agricultural vocational school on the outskirts of Buga, a town with 120,000 inhabitants in the center of the Valle de Cauca. The plant will utilize vegetable waste from municipal market halls and supermarkets that can no longer be eaten and is currently rotting in landfills. We also receive other previously unused waste from landscape conservation, such as grass and tree cuttings. These residues all come from Buga itself or the surrounding area within a radius of 15 kilometers.

The decomposition of organic waste is controlled in the biogas plant, where microorganisms break down carbon-containing substances in the absence of oxygen and produce methane in the process. We collect the energy-rich gas and use it to generate green electricity. We use the organic residues from the biogas plant as a valuable fertilizer for agriculture. As a result, nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur are returned to the natural cycle. We only use residual materials in the biogas plant and not energy crops that we have grown ourselves.