Trust, technical expertise and long-term partnerships are driving EnviTec Biogas AG’s latest projects in France, where the company is converting the Biowatt plant in Brittany to biomethane production and building the new Valoverte facility in south-west France.

 

“Both projects are representative of the trust and satisfaction our customers place in our work,” says Mehdy Benyahia, Managing Director of EnviTec Biogas France SARL responsible for plant construction.

 

The Biowatt project has particular significance for EnviTec: the plant traces its roots back to the company’s first French project in 2007.

 

“The history of Biowatt and EnviTec dates back to 2007. Together with Le Crom, a pig farmer from Rohan, EnviTec established the project company Biowatt for the construction and operation of its first biogas plant in France” says Maurice Markerink, Managing Director of EnviTec Anlagenbau, who was responsible for the development and operation of this project in a previous role at EnviTec.

 

Commissioned in 2010, the plant initially ran on pig slurry, agricultural waste and fats, with an installed electrical capacity of 526 kilowatts. Over the years, it expanded to incorporate agricultural and agri-food residues, pasteurisation, additional digestate storage and increased electrical output of 889 kilowatts.

 

“Over the years, the plant has been continuously expanded and adapted to new regulatory and economic conditions,” Benyahia explains.

 

Now, the site is undergoing another major transformation. Despite changes in ownership, the relationship with EnviTec has endured, culminating in a 2025 agreement to convert the facility to biomethane production.

 

“This is demonstrated by the agreement signed in 2025 to convert the plant to biomethane production,” says Benyahia.

 

Conversion work is already underway. EnviTec is manufacturing an EnviThan gas upgrading unit at its Saerbeck site, with capacity to produce 250 Nm³/h of biomethane. Delivery and commissioning are planned for the end of 2026.

 

The project also includes replacing mixers, converting an existing residue storage tank into an additional digester, renewing a digester roof and integrating a biogas boiler.

 

“Thanks to the robust original plant design, the conversion focuses primarily on modernisation measures and the integration of biomethane upgrading,” Benyahia adds.

 

Keeping downtime to a minimum is a key challenge, allowing Biowatt to maintain economic performance while construction work proceeds.

 

Once operational, the renewable gas will enter the French grid operator NaTran’s network and travel through a dedicated 13-kilometre shared network to Loudéac. There, it will be used to supply heat to the local tertiary sector. Digestate will continue to return to regional farms as fertiliser, closing the loop on the plant’s circular-economy model.

 

EnviTec’s second major French project is Valoverte, commissioned by recycling company Cler Verts. It represents another chapter in a partnership that has already delivered one biogas plant.

 

Valoverte is the second facility EnviTec has built for Cler Verts and its President Jean-Luc Da Lozzo. The company’s first plant, Cler ENR in Bélesta-en-Lauragais, was commissioned in 2015 with an electrical capacity of 637 kilowatts.

 

The new Valoverte facility will feature an EnviThan upgrading plant capable of producing 280 Nm³/h of biomethane, converting agricultural residues and food-industry by-products into renewable gas.

 

“In this way, we support our customers in recycling their organic waste, while also avoiding the CO₂ emissions that would result from incineration or landfill and producing high-quality digestate that can replace fossil- and mineral-based fertilisers,” explains the customer. “The circular system we have established for the recovery of organic residues creates optimal conditions for this.”

 

Earthworks are underway, with tank installation scheduled for September 2026. Piping and plant assembly will follow, alongside delivery of the prefabricated EnviThan unit from Saerbeck.

 

The facility is expected to produce around 25 GWh of biomethane annually. Organic materials will undergo depackaging and hygienisation at a separate site before entering the plant.

 

The diverse feedstock mix will demand a robust but flexible plant design capable of maintaining safe and efficient operation across changing input materials.

 

Biomethane production is expected to begin feeding into the GRDF network from July 2027, with the renewable gas destined for local heat generation.

 

The two projects underline EnviTec’s long-standing commitment to France, where it has completed 48 plant projects since entering the market in 2007.

 

Most of those facilities process agricultural feedstocks, organic residues and waste. EnviTec Biogas France SARL now employs 35 people, with its headquarters in Plédran, Brittany, and a service site in Le Meux in the Hauts-de-France region.

 

“Local presence is essential, as the French biogas market remains one of the most dynamic in Europe,” concludes Christian Ernst, EnviTec Biogas Area Sales Manager for Southern Europe.

 

France is also signalling continued ambition for renewable gases. Following publication of its multi-year energy plan in February 2026, the government reaffirmed a target of up to 62 TWh of biomethane production by 2035.

 

The sector’s support model is also evolving. While regulated feed-in tariffs have driven much of the market’s growth to date, France is expected to increasingly rely on biogas production certificates, or Certificats de Production de Biogaz (CPB). The final design of the mechanism is expected in the coming months, while the existing remuneration system will remain in place but gradually become more limited.

 

For EnviTec, the Biowatt conversion and Valoverte build show how that evolving market is translating into concrete projects—and how two decades of local relationships can become a competitive advantage in France’s next phase of biomethane growth.