Methane leak detected at Ranua biogas plant

Methane leaked from a transfer container at a biogas plant in Ranua, northern Finland, on Friday, Yle reports. No one was injured and the leak posed no danger to the environment, according to the plant operator. Methane is highly explosive.

The leak was detected while biogas was being transferred to the container at the plant’s filling station. The equipment was immediately taken out of service, said Mika Impiö, chief executive of Northern Finland Biogas Ltd.

Rescue services were alerted at about 11 a.m. and cordoned off the area to ensure safety. Kisuratie, the road leading to the plant, remains closed and will reopen when the situation returns to normal.

Repairs are under way, and the company aims to restore gas deliveries as soon as possible, Impiö said. Customers and partners will be updated as necessary.

The plant and filling station, established by local entrepreneurs, opened in February. The facility produces more biogas than can be sold at its own filling station, so surplus methane is transported in transfer containers to other filling stations.

Sami Vinkki, chief executive of Demeca, which built the plant and filling station, said leaks from transfer containers were rare. The container involved is a new truck-mounted hook-lift model that Demeca did not manufacture, he said.