How Green Gas Can Become a Low-Carbon, Nature-Boosting Solution

Last week, Ofgem confirmed that, by 2031, British households will pay nearly £15bn just to keep our gas network alive. That’s almost double the investment going into connecting new renewables to the grid over the same period. 

Decades of political short-sightedness mean that 25.5 million households are still reliant on expensive natural gas and the rusting pipes that bring it to them. Firstly, it should be the network operators that foot the bill. But there is a way to break free and make the £15bn an investment worthwhile, low-carbon and nature-boosting energy.  

The solution is green gas 

Climate fools like Reform UK pretend that extracting more planet-wrecking fossil fuels is the solution to high energy prices. But the proposed alternative—giving every household a heat pump—is unrealistic. Many homes aren’t suitable for heat pumps.

Green gas is the best of both worlds. It’s fully compatible with our infrastructure built for fossil fuels—pipelines, gas boilers, standard radiators—but, in switching to it, we can still reduce our emissions and get off the rollercoaster of international natural gas prices.

What is green gas?     

Green gas is made from grass growing today, meaning we’re recycling carbon already in the atmosphere. It’s completely different from natural gas, a fossil fuel that releases carbon absorbed millions of years ago, sending more emissions into the sky and driving the climate crisis.

Unlike fantasy fixes like carbon capture, green gas already exists. At our mill in Reading, we use grass cuttings to make biomethane—much like a cow’s stomach—which is then fed into the gas grid to heat homes. This process cuts emissions by 87% compared to natural gas, and with improvements, we can get that to 99%. But that’s not all.

Green gas boosts nature 

Rather than just growing one crop that drains the soil of its life, we get more green gas from growing a mixture of plants called herbal leys. As the herbal leys grow, they add nutrients to the soil and provide a diverse habitat for bees and other insects. Then, after we break the plants down to make the gas, we are left with a natural fertiliser to give back to the land. 

In the UK, one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, green gas is vital for regenerating our natural resources. But that’s not all.

Green gas helps farmers too

Few people are feeling the impact of the climate crisis like farmers, with 80% in the UK are worried about the effect it has on their ability to reliably grow food and make ends meet. Whilst tackling the climate crisis at source, green gas also gives farmers a profitable, resilient and organic source of income. 

And not only will it strengthen their balance sheets. The regenerative potential of the herbal leys means that, by growing them between crop cycles, farmers can give their depleted land a boost. 

Green gas beats natural gas hands down

For good or bad, we cannot just let our gas network slide into decay. We’re stuck with it, so why not turn it into a force for good, and not just a delivery system for climate-wrecking fossil fuels sold by foreign dictators? 

Given the crises facing humanity and that it would take just 358 green gas mills with 430,000 hectares of grassland to replace all of the gas we import from Russia, the question has to be: what are we waiting for?