Biomethane is a methane-rich gas derived from biogas that can be used as a substitute for conventional natural gas. Biomethane is considered to be a clean fuel, producing low or zero greenhouse gas emissions.

In its inquiry into renewable natural gas, the BCUC defined biomethane as:

“pipeline quality gas derived from upgrading and processing biogas or biomass. Biomethane is indistinguishable from Conventional Natural Gas and can be injected into a gas pipeline system.”

Biomethane is obtained by purifying biogas until it has the same proportion of methane as the conventional natural gas found in pipelines.

The resulting biomethane can then be used in the same appliances and vehicles that use conventional natural gas. The key difference is that biomethane is can be considered a “clean fuel”, either low-carbon or carbon-neutral, whereas conventional natural gas is not.

The term biomethane is sometimes used interchangeably with renewable natural gas. However, there is an important difference. Biomethane refers to the gas physically derived from biogas. Renewable natural gas could be biomethane, or it could refer to conventional natural gas that is “notionally” clean because an equivalent amount of biomethane was used somewhere else.

Retail customers of biomethane in BC are entitled to the biomethane credit, or carbon tax credit, based on the amount of biomethane they buy instead of conventional natural gas.