Auris Energia delays investment decision for Säkylä biogas plant to include carbon dioxide capture

The planned biogas plant in Säkylä, southwestern Finland, will face a delayed investment decision as Auris Energia seeks to expand the project with a carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture facility, the company announced on Monday.

According to Ville Karttunen, growth director at Auris Energia, the decision hinges on a pending state subsidy application currently under review by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. “The ministry has promised to process the application quickly, within this year,” Karttunen said.

The Säkylä plant, a multi-million-euro investment, would produce biogas through anaerobic digestion, a process that generates biogenic CO₂ as a byproduct. Traditionally released into the atmosphere, the company now aims to capture and utilise the gas due to emerging market demand.

“We would have to separate the CO₂ from biomethane anyway,” Karttunen explained. “Instead of releasing it, we want to recover nearly 20,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ annually for industrial use.”

Biogenic CO₂ is increasingly sought after for producing synthetic kerosene and e-methanol, particularly as transport emissions regulations tighten. While industrial applications remain limited, demand is expected to surge in the coming years.

The project includes a 30-kilometre gas pipeline from Säkylä to Harjavalta. Earlier this week, forest industry company Metsä Group also applied for funding from the same €90 million state subsidy pool to build a similar CO₂ capture facility at its Rauma pulp mill.