BIOGEM: From Farm to Grid with Proven Integrity
Decarbonisation across industry is only possible through deployment of bridge fuels such as biomethane. Trading biogas in a transparent and certified market is difficult. Biogem eases the transition with the highest quality Guarantees of Origin, proving that the product meets the Energy Agency’s sustainability requirements. CEO Knud Boesgaard tells Energy Focus more about establishing a value chain across biogas to ensure its credibility.
Biomethane has moved from the margins to the mainstream of Europe’s energy conversation, and with that shift has come a growing need for trust, traceability, and transparency. In a market defined by decarbonisation targets and corporate climate commitments, the ability to prove the origin and impact of renewable gas is no longer a nice-to-have; it is essential. For Biogem, this has been the foundation of its business from the outset, positioning the company as a specialist in an increasingly critical niche.
At its core, Biogem operates in the trading of Guarantees of Origin for biomethane, enabling buyers to verify that the gas they purchase meets specific sustainability criteria. This is a space that has evolved rapidly over the past decade, mirroring the broader growth of the European biomethane sector. What began as a fragmented and relatively immature market has matured into a structured ecosystem supported by certification frameworks, cross-border cooperation, and digital tracking systems.
“We are primarily Guarantee of Origin traders, and the history of the company is that in 2016 we had been working with some big-name energy companies and had been involved in trading Guarantees of Origin in the biomethane market which was new at the time,” CEO Knud Boesgaard tells Energy Focus. “I knew the market well, working for a national TSO and establishing the certificate system there together with neighbouring country TSOs.”
From those early foundations, Biogem has grown into one of the most experienced operators in the field, reflecting both persistence and a willingness to operate in a market that lacked the scale and recognition it has today.
“In 2016, we set up software that could calculate the carbon intensity of a batch of gas but also supply the necessary documentation to a quality standard. We were proud of that system, but we were unable to sell to the larger biomethane traders. We started buying small quantities of gas before reselling. Today, we have been trading in the biomethane market for 10 years. We still exclusively trade biomethane, and we are now one of the oldest and most experienced companies in this trade.”
That early focus on documentation and data integrity has proven prescient. Recent industry analysis confirms that robust tracking systems are now firmly in place across Europe and the United States, underpinning confidence in renewable gas markets. Certification schemes have become the backbone of biomethane trading, ensuring that environmental claims are backed by verifiable data and standardised methodologies.
Biogem’s role sits within this ecosystem, bridging the gap between producers and end-users while maintaining a consistent emphasis on quality. The company’s model is built around long-term relationships and structured contracts, providing stability in a volatile energy landscape.
“We trade biomethane, we do the documentation, we have a core of long-term very stable customer relationships, we mainly trade in long-term contracts alongside a small amount of spot trading,” details Boesgaard. “Our key customers have known us for many years, and we buy on fixed terms and sell on fixed terms which gives long-term stability for all. We also have a set up where, because of our large portfolio, we have between five and 10 TWh in our trading portfolio in closed contracts.”
Interview with Knud Boesgaard, CEO
GROWTH TRAJECTORY
As the biomethane market has expanded geographically, so too has Biogem’s footprint, sourcing gas from a diverse range of countries and connecting it with customers seeking certified, low-carbon energy solutions.
“We started purchasing biomethane in Denmark and selling directly to end customers across Europe. As we grew, we also started to purchase biomethane across Europe and we buy a lot from the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries. Over the years, we have built a strong representation with offices in Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and a presence in Germany. We are always looking at emerging markets and how we can move into those areas,” says Boesgaard.
This expansion reflects a broader trend within the industry. Biomethane production has shifted from small-scale operations towards larger and increasingly technological systems, accompanied by improved information collection and utilisation.
“Producers of biomethane have gone through a commercialisation process over the past five to 10 years, and they have developed a lot,” Boesgaard highlights. “It has been a pleasure to see how the biomethane industry at large has become much more professional, much more industrial, and has moved out of farm operations and into data systems and digitalisation.”
That evolution has created new opportunities, particularly in the area of certification. The credibility of biomethane as a decarbonisation tool depends heavily on the integrity of its certification systems, reinforcing the importance of reliable tracking and transparent reporting.
PRODUCT INNOVATION
Central to this strategy is Biolens, Biogem’s proprietary documentation platform designed to enhance both production management and certification quality. In a market where data is becoming as valuable as the commodity itself, tools like BioLens are emerging as key differentiators.
“We have developed data systems at the plants that have the ability to work as a production management system and boost productivity but also ensure the collection of the vital information we need for our certification systems as they are being produced. Biolens is truly a state-of-the-art documentation system,” says Boesgaard.
The value proposition is clear. End-users are increasingly under pressure to demonstrate the carbon credentials of their energy consumption, and biomethane offers a pathway to decarbonisation only if its origins and lifecycle emissions can be verified.
“Our customers are gas users across Europe, they get gas from a pipe in the wall, they can buy whatever is coming through the pipe, or they can buy our product, which is documented, and then allocate production capacity against a climate impact that they are certain of. They pay extra for this, and our job is to make sure the quality is there and the documentation is immaculate.”
This emphasis on documentation speaks to a wider industry challenge. Certification is the mechanism through which trust is built across the entire value chain, from producers and traders to end-users and regulators.
Biogem’s approach is to embed that quality at every stage, working closely with plant operators, farmers, and engineering teams to ensure that the data collected is comprehensive and reliable.
“It is important to us to have strong operations across the value chain, but it is also important for us to see where we do not excel in the value chain and employ someone else to deliver services. We excel in documentation and ensuring the certificates are of the right quality for our customers. This is important because this is what builds the long-term customer relationships that we have which form the foundation of our business,” Boesgaard details.
RESILIENCE AND RISK
Operating in the energy sector inevitably brings exposure to external shocks, and the past few years have provided no shortage of challenges.
“We have seen and been through all the market phases. Times are changing and the atmosphere is very volatile,” admits Boesgaard. “From our perspective, we have always placed value on the fact that we have a very stable platform with a number of long-term contracts that we have purchased on and sold on, and we have very stable customers. Of course, there have been challenges – the pandemic was a crisis, the Ukraine situation is a crisis, the Iranian situation is a crisis. These crises affect all of us and we are mindful, but the main issues for us were the tumbles that the German market saw in 2023 onwards.”
Against this backdrop, Biogem’s emphasis on long-term contracting and risk management has provided a buffer in uncertain conditions.
“We always find that having a very stable foundation on long-term secure contracts and a low-risk profile are the keys to mitigating against challenging times.”
Looking forward, the outlook for biomethane in Europe remains strong. Policy support, decarbonisation targets, and growing corporate demand for renewable energy are expected to drive further expansion, alongside increasing scrutiny around certification. For Biogem, this presents a clear opportunity as more customers seek verified, high-quality biomethane backed by robust documentation.
“We are able to bring a value chain, and we can give customers to possibility to look all the way back through production. This is important as this is the value they pay for,” Boesgaard closes.
As the sector evolves, the challenge will be to maintain trust while scaling up production and expanding into new markets, but the foundations appear firmly in place: experience, a focus on quality, and a business model built around long-term relationships.