Finland’s largest biogas plant opens in Nurmo

Finland’s largest biogas plant has opened in Nurmo, southern Ostrobothnia, Yle reports. The Suomen Lantakaasu-owned facility is the country’s first to produce liquefied biogas on an industrial scale.

The first batch is expected in October. After that, heavy vehicles will be able to refuel with the gas at several stations across Finland. The nearest station, in Nurmo, is scheduled to open later this year.

The plant is already producing raw biogas in its reactors, but the methane still needs to be purified and liquefied before it can be supplied to filling stations.

The facility aims to produce 100 gigawatt-hours of biogas a year, equivalent to about 10 million litres of diesel. It will not initially operate at full capacity.

Operations began in April, when the first loads of manure were delivered. The plant currently receives manure from more than 50 farms and has processed 30,000 tonnes.

The plant currently has an environmental permit for up to 240,000 tonnes of manure a year. Plans call for the amount to be increased by half, to 360,000 tonnes.

Farms receive usable recycled fertiliser in return for the manure. The fertiliser is odourless and contains nutrients in an easily usable form. The arrangement follows a “tonne for tonne” principle: farms receive the same amount of fertiliser as the amount of manure they deliver.

Suomen Lantakaasu’s chief executive, Leena Helminen, said the plant would strengthen security of supply and domestic energy production. Trucks delivering manure, wood chips or chemicals have their tyres washed when entering and leaving the facility.

European Affairs and Ownership Steering Minister Joakim Strand attended the opening and said the plant was a practical example of the circular economy. He said Finland would need to produce an increasing share of its energy domestically, with the benefits of processing also remaining in the country.

Fuel will be distributed under the St1 brand and operated by St1 Biokraft. The current network has 12 stations from Oulu to southern Finland, with four more planned for the autumn, including the station in Nurmo.

St1 Biokraft chief executive Miika Johansson said demand for the gas was growing. Finland currently has about 600 trucks that use biogas, he said, adding that the fuel had long-term potential for heavy loads and long distances that are more difficult to electrify.

Johansson said the company ultimately aims to produce as much as one terawatt-hour of biogas, as manure is available in the region.

Suomen Lantakaasu is also preparing to bring a plant into operation in Kiuruvesi, where the annual target is 480,000 tonnes of manure. That facility involves 100 farms.