Czech biomethane support for 2027: higher bonuses for existing plants — but not necessarily higher total revenue
The Czech Energy Regulatory Office, ERÚ, published Price Order No. 8/2026 on 30 September 2026, in Energy Regulatory Gazette 10/2026. It establishes 2027 operating-support settings for electricity, heat and biomethane produced using biogas. This is a final regulatory instrument, following a consultation that closed on 9 September.
Effective 1 January 2027, the order covers legacy biogas-electricity support, reference prices for eligible modernised electricity installations, useful-heat bonuses and biomethane bonuses. Its biomethane schedule contains only two upgrading-only categories, commissioned in 2024 and 2025; landfill and sewage-sludge gas are excluded from this section.
| Eligible upgrading installation commissioned in | 2026 bonus | 2027 bonus | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | CZK 1,139/MWh | CZK 1,217/MWh | +CZK 78/MWh · +6.8% |
| 2025 | CZK 1,202/MWh | CZK 1,280/MWh | +CZK 78/MWh · +6.5% |
Both years use gross calorific value. “Upgrading-only” means the supported installation comprises equipment converting biogas into biomethane, rather than the complete biogas-production plant. Percentage changes are calculated from ERÚ’s published rates.
The narrower schedule is significant. ERÚ explains that it omits historical categories without the relevant support registration in OTE, the Czech market operator’s system. The missing rows should therefore not automatically be read as a withdrawal of support from operating, registered beneficiaries.
ERÚ’s gas-price benchmark falls from CZK 939.3/MWh in 2026 to CZK 861.4/MWh in 2027. The modelled feedstock-cost assumption and underlying biomethane reference prices remain unchanged. The CZK 77.9/MWh benchmark reduction almost exactly matches the CZK 78/MWh bonus increase.
All values CZK/MWh.
The annual bonus supplements gas-sale income. When the regulator assumes that gas sales will generate less revenue, a larger bonus can preserve approximately the same modelled revenue level.
For operators, the commercial outcome will still depend on their actual contracts and costs. A producer’s realised gas price may differ from the regulatory benchmark; its feedstock, electricity and maintenance costs may also differ from the reference assumptions. An unchanged modelled remuneration level does not guarantee an unchanged operating margin.
The separate Czech biomethane auction scheme already received European Commission approval on 14 April 2026, under SA.119368. It provides 15 years of support from commissioning, using a monthly, two-way contract-for-difference mechanism.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s first auction covered new integrated biomethane plants, conversions of electricity plants and upgrading-only installations. Unlike the narrow annual tariff schedule, it also included biomethane from landfill and sewage-sludge gas. Support applies to biomethane delivered into the Czech gas system.
The order is final; no further consultation follows. Eligible operators should check their registered category, metering basis and 2027 settlement arrangements.
The 2027 bonus rates are finalised, but existing-plant support remains subject to annual adjustment: Order 8/2026 does not lock in the listed rates for subsequent years. Longer-term forecasts should therefore test changes in commodity prices and recognised costs.