E.ON moves biogas into normal networks

DUSSELDORF, Germany, July 19 (UPI) -- German energy company E.ON announced Tuesday it launched projects to supply 8,000 homes with biogas for their energy needs.

E.ON said it was launching four projects to feed biogas into the natural gas network. The company said that by the end of 2012, it will have spent $28 million on biogas and similar projects across Germany.

By feeding biogas into its natural gas networks, the company will be able to meet the gas demands of around 8,000 homes every year.

"Direct injection of biogas into natural gas networks opens us new opportunities for incorporating renewable energy sources," the company said in a statement. "With the aid of this technology, the biogas can be transported for use elsewhere at a later date."

The company said that it would supplement the biogas with liquefied petroleum gas because biogas has a lower energy content than conventional natural gas.

The biogas decision follows action in the country's nuclear energy sector. After Japan's nuclear disaster in March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors would close this year. The remaining plants would close by 2022.

German energy companies E.ON and RWE said they were considering legal action in the wake of Merkel's announcement.