Pau‑Lescar e‑Methane Project

The Biofactory Pau (Pau’wer-Two-Gas) project is a full circular-economy transformation of the Lescar–Pau wastewater treatment plant, where SUEZ, Storengy, MAN Energy Solutions, Elogen, and John Cockerill integrate anaerobic digestion, hydrothermal carbonization, a 1 MW electrolyzer, and a catalytic methanation reactor to convert sludge-derived biogas and captured biogenic CO₂ into additional synthetic methane. The project recovers energy, heat, nutrients, and carbon: sludge is digested and carbonized, biogas is upgraded, green hydrogen is produced on-site, and CO₂ is methanated to boost methane output to around 13,000 MWh/year injected into the French gas grid. It also incorporates ammonia-to-fertilizer recovery, odor treatment, heat reuse, and biodiversity improvements, making it one of Europe’s first wastewater-based integrated e-methane demonstration sites.