Aragón accelerates three biomethane plants in Caspe, Híjar, and Fraga

The Government of Aragon has declared the construction project of three organic waste management plants to produce biomethane in Caspe (Zaragoza), La Puebla de Híjar (Teruel), and Fraga (Huesca) as an investment of regional interest. The agreement was adopted at the regional Executive meeting on September 2, 2026, and published in the Official Gazette of Aragon on September 24, 2026 (number 186), through Order ECE/1365/2026, dated September 10, by the Minister of Economy, Competitiveness, and Employment, Eva Valle Maestro. This declaration grants the project preferential and urgent momentum and reduces ordinary processing deadlines by half.

Regulatory Framework and Promoters

The figure of investment of regional interest is regulated in Article 6 of Decree-Law 1/2008, of October 30, of the Government of Aragon, regarding urgent administrative measures to facilitate economic activity in Aragon, which reserves it for projects of special relevance for the economic, social, and territorial development of the community.

The application was submitted on November 24, 2025, on behalf of three commercial entities from the same business group:

• BDP Bionergy VIII SL, promoter of the Caspe plant.
• BDP Bionergy IX SL, promoter of the La Puebla de Híjar plant.
• BDP Bionergy XII SL, promoter of the Fraga plant.

The three companies are wholly owned by Bahía de Plata Holdco SL, the parent company of the ABEI Energy group, which comprises 245 companies and is dedicated to photovoltaic, wind, storage, green hydrogen, and biomethane projects, with a presence in Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Poland, France, Italy, and the United States.

Three Plants, 58.7 Million, and Connection to the Gas Grid

Each facility will operate autonomously starting from the reception and pretreatment of agro-livestock substrates, with porcine slurry as the majority fraction, supplemented by poultry litter, bovine manure, and other agricultural waste. The planned treatment capacities are:

• Caspe: 170,000 annual tons, with a connection to a Redexis gas pipeline approximately 500 meters away.
• La Puebla de Híjar: 170,000 annual tons, with a connection to an Enagás gas pipeline 250 meters away.
• Fraga: 197,000 annual tons, with injection infrastructure into a Redexis gas pipeline on the plot itself.

The total investment amounts to 58,720,768.06 euros: 19,997,564.61 euros in Caspe, 19,021,738.39 euros in La Puebla de Híjar, and 19,701,465.06 euros in Fraga. Around 10% would have already materialized in 2024 and 2025, and the remaining 90% will be executed between 2026 and 2028. Anaerobic digestion will generate biogas with 60-65% methane, which will be purified in membrane upgrading units for injection into the grid, in addition to digestate intended for agricultural recovery: 10.9 million cubic meters annually in Caspe, 9.6 in La Puebla de Híjar, and 9.4 in Fraga.

Employment, schedule, and favorable reports

The works will last ten months, plus four for commissioning. The start of commercial operation is scheduled for June 2028 in Caspe, August 2028 in La Puebla de Híjar, and October 2028 in Fraga. Each plant will generate approximately 60 temporary direct jobs during construction, around 16 stable direct jobs in operation, and about 30 indirect jobs.

The file accumulates favorable reports from the Technical General Secretariat of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food (December 23, 2025), the General Directorate of Energy and Mines (February 6, 2026), the General Directorate of Economic Policy (February 23, 2026), and the General Directorate of Industrial Promotion and Innovation (February 24, 2026). The involved city councils also endorsed the projects: the plenary of La Puebla de Híjar did so unanimously on March 20, 2024, the Local Government Board of Caspe on February 6, 2026, and the plenary of Fraga by majority on June 1, 2026.

Effects of the declaration

The declaration implies that all procedures linked to the authorization, execution, and development of the project will have a preferential and urgent character, with a 50% reduction in the deadlines provided for in Aragonese regulations, except for those regarding the submission of applications and appeals. It does not exempt the promoter from complying with legal requirements nor does it condition the Administration in the application of current regulations.

The project is framed within the Aragonese Climate Change Strategy Horizon 2030, the PNIEC 2021-2030, and the Biogas Roadmap, and the General Directorate of Economic Policy estimates a profitability (IRR) of around 11% over 15 years and 14% over 20 years, with full financing through the group’s own resources.

The decision places Aragon on the biomethane map and reinforces the economic activity of three regions affected by depopulation, while offering livestock farming a way to recover slurry and organic waste with local fertilizers.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 186, of September 24, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Agreements) (official reference: BOA20260924016).