AgriBiogas 2026: Agricultural biomethane is the way forward. No plant will be left behind.

The 2026 edition of AgriBiogas , the annual conference of the Monviso Agroenergia Consortium (CMA) dedicated to the agricultural biogas and biomethane supply chain, concluded with an extraordinary result. More than 800 attendees, 400 agricultural entrepreneurs, 200 sector companies, and 26 high-profile technical and institutional speakers enlivened a day packed with content and, above all, concrete answers.

The clear message that emerged from the day was: move forward with agricultural biomethane, leaving no one behind.

The day opened with appreciated greetings from Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin , from the President of the Region Cirio , from Senator Bergesio (Senate Agriculture Commission) and from the President of the CMA Villosio .

The national energy framework presents elements of fragility

Physicist and communicator Luca Romano— "The Atom's Advocate"—opened the proceedings with a general presentation, offering a lucid and unconventional perspective on the national energy system: fragile, dependent on foreign markets, and with an electricity grid that requires precisely the programmability that biogas currently helps provide. The use of biomethane for hard-to-abate projects represents the agricultural sector's best contribution to the national energy system.

MASE's announcement: the new biomethane decree will arrive within a year.

The most anticipated moment of the day was the speech by Giovanni Perrella , of the Technical Secretariat of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), the Ministry's institutional contact for the biomethane sector. Perrella clearly outlined the government's direction: MASE is working on the new post-PNRR biomethane decree with the aim of achieving the targets of the PNIEC, and a publication timeframe of one year is reasonable. On the crucial issue of environmental sustainability, he confirmed that the thresholds set by EU legislation will be applied: the certification requirement will only apply to plants with a capacity greater than 210 Sm³/h, excluding many small-scale agricultural plants. "Biomethane will in any case be more profitable than electricity generation," he stated, adding the phrase that most struck the audience: " No plant will be left behind. We look to the future with optimism and positivity."

Update on the PNRR and the networks

Federico Mandolini of GSE confirmed that the PNRR biomethane project is well underway: nearly 400 plants have started work, around 100 have already completed it, and the Ecological Practices Decree ranking will be published next week. Valeria Vignolo of Italgas emphasized the essential role of distribution networks and operators' commitment to eliminating connection bottlenecks, welcoming the new cost allocation, with the system primarily responsible.

The voice of the sector and politics

Andrea Chiabrando of the CMA illustrated the numbers of the transition: there are still 740 biogas-electric plants with an output of over 300 kWe that need to be converted, and by June 2028, there will be approximately 500 more—the target of the future 2027 decree. This is a challenging but achievable target, provided that cumulative investments are avoided and that those plants that cannot be converted for technical or economic reasons are safeguarded.

Agricultural organizations spoke with one voice. Ettore Prandini (Coldiretti), Massimiliano Giansanti (Confagricoltura) , Simona Caselli (Legacoop/Granlatte), and Rossotto (Cia) reiterated that agroenergy initiatives must remain in the hands of agricultural businesses. Fabrizio Adani of the University of Milan relaunched the fight for the recognition of digestate as a strategic fertilizer, crucial in the current chemical fertilizer price crisis. Donato Rotundo of Confagricoltura recalled how the experience of the Bollette Decree demonstrates the importance of ongoing dialogue between institutions and operators. MPs Paola De Micheli , Riccardo Molinari , and Raffaele Nevi , coordinated by Regional Undersecretary Claudia Porchietto , committed politicians to working towards a stable, long-term framework.

Marta Gandiglio of the Polytechnic University of Turin and Elio Dinuccio of the University of Turin scientifically confirmed the sustainability and efficiency of Italy's agricultural biogas farm. Professor Fabrizio Adani outlined the path toward equivalent digestate, while tax expert Vanni Fusconi highlighted the outstanding tax issues that legislators will need to resolve.