Electrochaea GmbH is using a promising technology to make the production and, above all, storage of sustainably produced gas even more efficient. It involves microorganisms that are billions of years old, known as archaea, which act as biocatalysts in the conversion of electricity into gas. Following demonstration plants in Denmark, Switzerland and the USA, a biomethanisation plant will now also be built in Japan. According to Electrochaea, a corresponding five-year licence agreement has been concluded with the Japanese energy company Hitachi.

Hitachi receives licence to use power-to-gas technology

The biomethane plant is scheduled to go into operation in Japan by 2027. The licence agreement also gives Hitachi the option to acquire further licences for the use of Electrochaea's power-to-gas technology in Japan. The companies did not comment on financial details.

Founded in 2014, the Bavarian company's power-to-gas technology uses methanogenic archaea as a biocatalyst to produce grid-quality renewable methane from hydrogen and CO₂ during gas fermentation in the bioreactor. Surplus electricity from renewable energies can be used to generate hydrogen and oxygen in the electrolysis process, while the CO₂ can come from various sources such as exhaust gases. In this way, Electrochaea aims to solve the storage problem of renewable energies. The climate-neutral e-methane produced in this way is intended to replace fossil natural gas at low cost and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Boost for expansion in Asia

‘The partnership with a leading global energy company strengthens our global presence and will be crucial for our expansion throughout Asia,’ said Doris Hafenbradl, CTO and Managing Director of Electrochaea, referring to the new cooperation in Japan.

With the help of EU funding, the company, which is based in Planegg near Munich, was able to successfully bring its technology for microbial biomethane production to industrial scale.

chk/bb