Future Biogas launches CO₂ capture at UK’s first unsubsidised biomethane plant

Future Biogas, a leading developer and operator of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in the UK, has announced the launch of carbon dioxide capture and utilisation at its flagship unsubsidised biomethane facility, Moor Bioenergy, in Lincolnshire.

The site will capture more than 14,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ per year, which is now being shipped by Pro Gases UK for use in things like food and beverage production.

This marks the company’s first public disclosure of active CO₂ capture – a milestone that demonstrates how unsubsidised biomethane can evolve from a low-carbon fuel into a carbon-negative energy source.

“Future Biogas was the first company in the UK to commission an unsubsidised biomethane plant, proving that the Biomethane industry doesn’t need to rely on government subsidies. Now we’re proving that carbon capture can push green gas even further,” said Philipp Lukas, CEO of Future Biogas.

“With every tonne of CO₂ captured, we are closing the loop, cutting emissions in today’s supply chains and preparing for permanent sequestration tomorrow. This is how biogas moves from renewable energy to something that is truly regenerative for our planet.”

Relevance for data centers

The announcement comes at a time when the UK data center sector is grappling with soaring energy demand and long grid connection delays. While new electricity connections can take up to a decade, new gas connections are typically available within a much shorter time frame.

This creates a unique opportunity for biomethane to provide baseload renewable energy in the short term, and flexible peak balancing power as the sector transitions further into renewables.

While the sector focuses on electrons, biogas brings green molecules into the mix – a storable, dispatchable energy form essential for resilient data infrastructure.

“Data is now as critical to the UK economy as heat and power,” added Philipp Lukas. “And with the emergence of AI, it’s imperative that the UK invests heavily to compete in the data race. Biogas offers data centers an immediately scalable, 24/7 renewable energy source that can be matched against consumption and help them decarbonise faster, while strengthening security of supply.”

With projections of 100-120TWh of biomethane potential in the UK grid by 2050, Future Biogas sees data centers as a natural off-taker for green gas.

Biomethane can also deliver flexible demand balancing, but its real value lies in compatibility with the gas network – providing stable, dependable green energy.

The existing gas network effectively operates as the UK’s largest battery, capable of storing over 650GWh of energy per day or 100TWh per annum. This network also means that biogas plants don’t need to be co-located with data centers.

Building on a decade of expertise

Future Biogas operates with over 15 years of experience in developing and running AD plants across the UK. Its unsubsidised Moor Bioenergy plant, commissioned in 2025, is already producing gas and expected to produce more than 100GWh of biomethane annually to AstraZeneca, helping the company decarbonise its Scope 1 emissions in line with their ambitious net-zero targets.

With CO₂ capture now underway, Future Biogas is demonstrating how unsubsidised biomethane can further reduce carbon intensity, displace fossil derived CO₂ and later in the decade could evolve into a carbon-negative solution by durable storage of captured carbon – while providing the reliable, renewable power that data centers and other high-demand industries urgently need.

Scaling carbon capture across the portfolio

Future Biogas is currently exploring additional CO₂ capture upgrades across six existing sites within their portfolio and are pursuing planning permission for another seven AD plants, all with the ability to be fitted with carbon capture technology.

This is coupled with long-term plans to sequester biogenic CO₂ offshore once UK storage infrastructure comes online. Once sequestration begins, Future Biogas’s model will be able to deliver carbon-negative biomethane at scale, creating a renewable energy source that not only replaces fossil gas but also permanently removes emissions from the atmosphere.

For more information, please visit https://www.futurebiogas.com.