How close is too close?
France, England, Germany and Castilla-La Mancha set or propose minimum distances between these plants and homes. The lines show the distances measured from the Guarda parcel.
- Zona de exploração de água352 m
- Quinta Monte Frio370 m
- Quinta (a nascente)654 m
- Avelãs de Ambom (limite nascente)1,038 m
- Igreja de Pêra do Moço1,391 m
Minimum distances in other countries:
- France: 200 m
- England: 200 m
- England, with open-air composting: 250 m
- Germany, enclosed plant: 300 m
- Germany, open plant: 500 m
- Castilla-La Mancha (Spain): 2,000 m (draft decree)
Sources of the distances:
We found no fixed minimum distance in Portugal between these plants and homes. The law only requires digestate storage to be 25 m from third-party housing.
The rules, one by one
| Where | Distance | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|
| France | 200 m | Methanisation units must be more than 200 m from third-party homes (100 m for the smallest, under 30 t/day). |
| England | 200 m | The standard permit is not available within 200 m of the nearest home; closer than that a bespoke permit with a risk assessment is needed. |
| England, with open-air composting | 250 m | If digestate fibre is composted in the open, the distance rises to 250 m. |
| Germany, enclosed plant | 300 m | Precautionary minimum distance of 300 m from residential areas; it can be reduced with odour treatment. |
| Germany, open plant | 500 m | For open waste-fermentation plants, the technical guideline uses 500 m. |
| Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) draft decree | 2,000 m | Draft decree: 2,000 m from residential urban land (4,000 m if animal carcasses are treated) and 250 m from groundwater abstractions. |
| Portugal | — | We found no specific minimum distance between these plants and homes. Portaria no. 79/2022 only requires digestate storage to be at least 25 m from third-party housing. |
The distances were measured by MOV.AP from the parcel boundary on satellite imagery; the parcel outline has not yet been confirmed by an official document. Other countries' rules do not apply in Portugal; they are shown for comparison.
What about the smell?
In field inspections at biogas plants, odour was noticed up to 250–600 m away. The simulator shows, for each wind, an illustrative estimate of where odour could reach.
Sources on this page
- Arrêté du 12 août 2010 relatif aux prescriptions générales applicables aux installations classées de méthanisation relevant du régime de l'enregistrement (rubrique 2781), version consolidée
- SR2021 No 6: anaerobic digestion facility including use of the resultant biogas (installations)
- TA Luft 2021, n.º 5.4.8.6.2: distância mínima de 300 m para instalações fechadas de biogás (resumo num documento de licenciamento)
- Proyecto de Decreto sobre las plantas de transformación en biometano (documento de participación pública)
- MOV.AP: medições sobre imagem de satélite, outubro de 2026 (distâncias do limite da parcela à zona de exploração de água, quintas e aldeias)
- OpenStreetMap: localização das aldeias de Avelãs de Ambom, Pêra do Moço, Rocamondo, Martianes e Verdugal e da igreja de Pêra do Moço
- Merkblatt DWA-M 372 (folha de correção): 300 m para instalações fechadas e 500 m para abertas
- Pesquisa documental do MOV.AP: distâncias mínimas entre centrais de biogás e habitações em Portugal (nenhuma regra encontrada)
- Portaria n.º 79/2022, de 3 de fevereiro (gestão de efluentes pecuários; o digerido de biogás é equiparado a efluente pecuário)
- Odour emissions impact of on-farm biogas production with co-digestion: a case study in four European farms
- Odour Impact by Field Inspections: Method and Results from an Agricultural Biogas Facility
[1] Official document
Arrêté du 12 août 2010 relatif aux prescriptions générales applicables aux installations classées de méthanisation relevant du régime de l'enregistrement (rubrique 2781), version consolidée
[2] Public body
SR2021 No 6: anaerobic digestion facility including use of the resultant biogas (installations)
[3] Other
TA Luft 2021, n.º 5.4.8.6.2: distância mínima de 300 m para instalações fechadas de biogás (resumo num documento de licenciamento)
[4] Official document
Proyecto de Decreto sobre las plantas de transformación en biometano (documento de participación pública)
[5] Citizens' movement
MOV.AP: medições sobre imagem de satélite, outubro de 2026 (distâncias do limite da parcela à zona de exploração de água, quintas e aldeias)
- No public link
[6] Dataset
OpenStreetMap: localização das aldeias de Avelãs de Ambom, Pêra do Moço, Rocamondo, Martianes e Verdugal e da igreja de Pêra do Moço
[7] Other
Merkblatt DWA-M 372 (folha de correção): 300 m para instalações fechadas e 500 m para abertas
[8] Citizens' movement
Pesquisa documental do MOV.AP: distâncias mínimas entre centrais de biogás e habitações em Portugal (nenhuma regra encontrada)
- No public link
[9] Official document
Portaria n.º 79/2022, de 3 de fevereiro (gestão de efluentes pecuários; o digerido de biogás é equiparado a efluente pecuário)
[10] Other
Odour emissions impact of on-farm biogas production with co-digestion: a case study in four European farms
[11] Peer-reviewed paper