MONVISO AGROENERGIA CONSORTIUM: "THE BILL DECREE PUT THE BIOGAS AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY CHAIN AT RISK"

The Council of Ministers has approved the energy bill decree, which significantly impacts the agricultural biogas and biomethane sector. Alongside measures to contain energy costs, supported by producers, the measure introduces a reorganization of Guaranteed Minimum Prices (GMPs) , which, according to the Monviso Agroenergia Consortium, risks penalizing the primary sector and compromising the economic sustainability of numerous agricultural facilities, with repercussions on agri-food supply chains and rural areas.

Nationally, there are 1,800 agricultural biogas-electric power plants , confirming their position as the backbone of Italian biogas production. Around 250 plants are currently operating in Piedmont. This network is closely integrated with agricultural and livestock farms, providing energy and environmental protection for rural areas.

"Agricultural biogas is not a cost to the country's economy, but an environmental and economic asset," says Sebastiano Villosio, president of the Monviso Agroenergia Consortium . "Our companies," Villosio adds, "have invested with vision and responsibility, contributing to the sustainable management of livestock effluents, the production of programmable renewable energy, and the strengthening of agri-food supply chains. Clear rules, clear timelines, and adequate treatment are needed. Production continuity cannot be subordinated to a conversion to biomethane, the conditions of which have not yet been defined."

The Consortium supports the development of biomethane where suitable technical and economic conditions exist, but highlights how, for many agricultural businesses—due to the size of the plants, distance from gas networks, heat recovery, and company self-consumption—electricity generation from biogas represents the most efficient and balanced solution.

"Without corrective measures," Villosio continues, "the risk is the decommissioning of plants and the loss of a productive heritage built over years of work. This would be a setback for the ecological transition and for national energy autonomy. Parliament should intervene during the conversion process to eliminate the obligation to convert in the absence of a defined support framework, overcome the penalizing limit on operating hours, and ensure a financial allocation consistent with the sector's actual needs."

Monviso Agroenergia confirms its willingness to collaborate with institutions to improve the text of the decree and strengthen a circular economy model that supports agriculture, the environment, and the country's energy security.

Who is the Monviso Agroenergia Consortium?

The Monviso Agroenergia Consortium (CMA) is one of Italy's leading associations in the agroenergy sector. It brings together approximately 226 biogas production plants and directly involves more than 460 farms with shareholdings , as well as 450 member farms that supply livestock waste .

The network also includes 470 farms included in certification groups and 1,340 farmers who supply plant biomass . Overall, the supply chain linked to the Consortium involves 2,260 farms : an integrated system that combines renewable energy production, sustainable wastewater management, and the valorization of agricultural biomass.