Prime Highlights
- Timphaus family business adds EnviThan biomethane upgrading unit to Lower Saxony biogas plant.
- First grid injection of biomethane targeted for October 2026 after January construction start.
Key Facts
- Franz Timphaus leads 561 Nm3 per hour EnviTec biomethane upgrade project.
- Expanded plant adds manure, slurry feedstocks to boost overall biogas output.
Background
A farming business in Lower Saxony is upgrading its biogas operation to include biomethane production, installing an EnviThan gas upgrading unit as its original 20-year support period under Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act draws to a close.
The Timphaus family business in Lohne first added biogas to its agricultural operations in 2011, drawn by the income stability that guaranteed revenues under the scheme offered.
After running the plant for years under this support, the operator is now investing in a 561 Nm³ per hour EnviThan upgrading plant supplied by EnviTec Anlagenbau. Construction began in January, with first injection into the gas grid targeted for October 2026.
Plant modules are being prefabricated and tested at EnviTec’s production facility in Saerbeck before transport to the Lohne site following factory acceptance testing.
Approval for the gas upgrading unit also opened the door to expanding the wider biogas plant, allowing additional feedstocks such as manure and slurry, which will raise overall biogas production.
The expanded setup gives the operator flexibility to either generate electricity or upgrade biogas to biomethane for grid injection, depending on market conditions.
Franz Timphaus, managing director of Timphaus Erneuerbare Energien, said the arrangement lets the business generate electricity flexibly while also upgrading biogas to biomethane for injection into the gas grid.
The original 549 kW plant gained a 1,500 kW flexible combined heat and power unit in 2020, allowing the business to direct electricity generation toward periods of peak market demand.
The biomethane expansion marks the latest step in the business repositioning its model around market-driven revenues as fixed support under the scheme comes to an end.
