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Gasum strives actively to increase biogas production capacity by building new biogas plants and also by increasing biogas procurement from partners. The Lohja biogas plant uses biodegradable waste from the Helsinki region as feedstock, which means that the recycled nutrients created in production at the biogas plant meet the criteria for organic fertilizers.

”It’s pleasing that our Lohja biogas plant was completed to plan. Our plant promotes the realization of the circular economy in the Helsinki region. Demand for biogas is growing in all segments and we are constantly pursuing new opportunities to increase production capacity. Demand for recycled nutrients and organic fertilizers is showing development in various industrial sectors. We constantly need more biodegradable waste for our production and hope that operators in the Helsinki region will join us in promoting the circular economy by becoming part of the chain,” says Johan Grön, Vice President, Biogas, Gasum.

The plant will process around 60,000 tonnes of biomass a year to produce 40 GWh of renewable biogas, equivalent to the annual fuel consumption of 100 heavy-duty vehicles or 4,000 cars a year. The plant will also produce around 50,000 tonnes of organic fertilizers for agriculture.

“We welcome Gasum to our waste center in Munkkaa, Lohja. Smooth cooperation in biowaste processing will now continue with cooperation in use of the site. We at waste management company Rosk’n Roll seek to create circular economy centers where it is easy for operators to locate and invest in plants that promote material and nutrient recycling. Gasum’s plant is an excellent example of this,” says Vesa Heikkonen, CEO, Rosk’n Roll Oy Ab.

The Lohja biogas plant has been granted support of EUR 7.83 million by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment under the Bioeconomy and clean solutions key project. The objective of the key project is to increase in a sustainable way the share of renewable energy of the energy used in Finland by, in particular, improving its availability.

Biogas is a fully renewable energy source that can be produced from many types of biodegradable waste. Use of biogas as a fuel can help to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel. Gasum now has 16 biogas plants in Finland and Sweden, making the company one of the largest producers of biogas in the Nordics. Gasum will make 4 TWh of biogas available in the Nordics by 2024 through its own production and partners.

The transition to cleaner energy is accelerating in Sweden as the government is actively trying to reach national and EU emission goals. In the transport sector, the EU regulation on CO₂ emission performance standards states that average CO₂ emissions of new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) must be 15% lower in 2025 than in 2019. In addition, in 2030, emissions must be at least 30% lower. Sweden has set higher goals than the EU and aims to lower the CO₂ emissions of new HDVs by 70% before 2030. These ambitious goals have made logistics companies look to renewable, low-emission fuel solutions, such as LBG.

Six logistics companies in Sweden tested LBG trucks as a way to reduce their emissions. These logistic companies are part of MaserFrakt, the biggest transportation company in Sweden. According to MaserFrakt, the companies that tested LBG were happy with its climate impact and the drivers appreciated the quiet engines of the LBG trucks.

“According to the drivers, there was little difference between driving a diesel truck and an LBG truck, which is very positive. The quieter engine sound is great as well because it means a better working environment for our drivers,” says Frida Jahncke, fuel manager, MaserFrakt.

The companies also noted that as LBG is a cost-effective fuel, its impact on overall costs can easily be enhanced by a sensible way of driving and the commitment of drivers to the change. One of Maserfrakt’s drivers testing an LBG truck was able to lower his average fuel consumption from 2.7 kg per 10 km to 2.59 kg. With a gas price of SEK 13.54/kg (excluding VAT), this means a cost of SEK 35.07 per 10 km, which is remarkably low.

Over the lifecycle of the fuel, renewable LBG can help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil fuel. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can achieve emissions reductions of up to 20%. Since biogas utilizes the same gas infrastructure as natural gas, switching to biogas is both easy and cost effective.

The potential of LBG and LNG in decreasing road transportation emissions has been noted by multiple logistic companies in the Nordics. For example, already more than 1,000 gas-fueled trucks have been approved for subsidies under the Klimatklivet and Drive LBG climate investment programs in Sweden. Liquefied gas is recognized as a low-emission alternative fuel and trucks running on LNG and LBG are considered environmentally friendly trucks under the new incentive program Klimatpremien. These incentive programs are rapidly increasing the number of liquefied gas trucks on the road and boosting market conditions. Gasum aims to support the climate efforts of the Nordic countries by expanding the gas filling station network in Sweden, Finland and Norway.

“We need to work together to reduce the climate impact of road transport and reach the ambitious goals set by the EU and the Swedish government. We’re glad that companies such as MaserFrakt are looking into low-emission fuel solutions and testing them so thoroughly,” adds Mikael Antonsson, Director Traffic, Gasum Sweden.

After the tests, MaserFrakt said that they are looking forward to new investments in the gas sector, so LNG trucks can show their potential in a wider operating environment.