Cuba is implementing a biomethane plant in Matanzas to convert pig manure into fuel for public buses. Funded by the European Union and the UNDP, the project aims to create a circular economy model for sustainable transport in the region. However, the initiative faces significant feedstock challenges. A sharp decline in national pork production has left the primary farm operating far below capacity, forcing the project to source cattle waste and sargassum to maintain fuel production.
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5.8 million dollars for five buses is a wild cost per unit. Even with the infrastructure for the 14km pipeline, the economics here look completely broken. What is the actual daily methane yield from 1,000 pigs?
The cost isn't about the buses, it is about the showcase. This is a pilot project funded by external grants, so the ROI is likely measured in political visibility rather than actual carbon abatement or operational efficiency.
Switching to cattle waste and sargassum sounds fine on paper, but the chemistry of the digester changes. Different feedstocks mean different maintenance cycles and gas purity levels. I wonder who is handling the long term upkeep of those pipes.
Hard to call this a carbon neutral showcase when the primary input for the fuel is disappearing. If the pork industry collapsed, the fuel source collapsed with it.
