A new study conducted by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and Verenum AG, commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and published in early 2026, highlights a concrete way to strengthen Switzerland’s energy sovereignty. By combining demand reduction with the smart utilisation of biomass, Switzerland could replace a significant proportion of its imported natural gas with locally produced biomethane.
The study highlights that several resources already present in the region can contribute to biomethane production, notably wood (via wood gasifiers), sewage sludge, green waste, and, more broadly, inputs from resource and waste management sectors (collection, treatment, recovery).
The challenge is not merely technological; it is also systemic: biomethane is only viable if it forms part of a coherent strategy for the use of resources, infrastructure and demand.
“It is important always to bear in mind the system as a whole and not to focus on isolated local options.”
Tilman Schildhauer (PSI)
A key finding of the study is that biomethane production alone is not enough to replace everything. However, if Switzerland accelerates the uptake of efficient electric technologies (such as heat pumps), demand for gas could fall by a factor of three to five.
This decline changes the equation: less gas is required, meaning a larger proportion can be met by domestic sources. According to the authors, Switzerland could meet around 25% to 50% of its future gas needs using biomethane produced within the country. The associated benefit is direct: reduced dependence on imports, and therefore reduced exposure to price shocks and geopolitical risks.
“We can replace a large proportion of the natural gas we currently import with biomethane from our own sources.”
Christian Bauer (PSI)
Beyond energy, the study confirms a key trend: the energy transition also hinges on the ability to transform local waste streams (wood, bio-waste, sludge, residues) into valuable products (renewable gas, heat, molecules). This reinforces the value of regional and circular approaches that link feedstocks (resources derived from human activities and ecosystems), processes (biogas, gasification, Power-to-X), applications (industry, heavy transport, seasonal storage), and impacts (CO₂, resilience, costs).
This PSI publication confirms that the production of renewable gas from biomass, combined with smart demand reduction, represents a credible pathway towards greater independence and resilience. For WasteOlas, this is an important endorsement of market dynamics surrounding the local utilisation of resources, and of the growing need for industrial solutions capable of transforming CO₂ and carbon-based streams into useful energy carriers within regional value chains.
In the short term, opportunities lie in optimising resources, improving process performance and system integration (energy, waste, infrastructure). In the medium term, the convergence of biomethane, CO₂ capture and utilisation, and Power-to-X technologies could accelerate the emergence of regional circular carbon ecosystems – precisely where WasteOlas intends to position itself as a key player.
