€7.97 million in key project investment aid granted for transport use of biogas – Turku biogas project planning to be launched immediately

The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has granted the Turku biogas plant expansion €7.97 million in investment aid for key energy projects. The project entity planned by Gasum Ltd covers the expansion of the Topinoja, Turku, biogas plant as well as the construction of a biogas upgrading and liquefaction plant. As part of the project, two new biogas filling stations will also be constructed in the Turku region to serve light vehicles. The total investment will be in the range of €26 million.

Planning for the Turku project entity will begin immediately. The investment in anticipated to be completed during 2018. The project will provide around 170 full-time equivalents of employment during the construction phase. The annual total capacity of the biogas plant following the completion of the expansion will be around 110,000 tonnes of sewage sludge and separately collected biowaste as well as industrial side streams. The project will enhance the growth of the Finnish biogas market and strongly promote the transport fuel of biogas.

”The key project aid granted for the Turku biogas project is a strong sign of the Government’s commitment to the development of the biogas market in Finland. 100% Finnish and fully renewable biogas plays a key role in action to achieve a clear reduction in road transport emissions in accordance with the climate targets binding on Finland,” says Gasum CEO Johanna Lamminen.

Liquefied biogas for ships and heavy-duty road vehicles

Developing the biogas market and increasing production are key elements of the Gasum strategy. The Topinoja, Turku, biogas plant expansion project includes biogas upgrading and liquefaction. At the same time Gasum Ltd will construct two new biogas filling stations for light vehicles, enabling the distribution of biogas produced from locally sourced waste.

The liquefaction of biogas will make it possible to distribute biogas for use as a fuel for heavy-duty road as well as maritime transport. The annual liquefaction capacity of the Turku biogas plant will correspond to the annual fuel consumption of around 300 heavy-duty vehicles. Liquefied biogas is available for fill-ups from Gasum’s heavy-duty vehicle filling stations, the first of which are located at the Port of Turku and Helsinki’s Vuosaari Harbour. The next heavy-duty filling stations will be constructed during 2017 in Vantaa and Jyväskylä.

Under the Government Programme, the key projects aim to bring the Finnish economy to a path of sustainable growth and rising employment. The objective of the ’Bioeconomy and clean solutions’ key projects is to increase the use of renewable energy in a sustainable way so that its share will rise to more than 50% during the 2020s. This will be based, in particular, on the growth in the supply of bioenergy and other emission-free renewable energy.

For further information please contact:
Jukka Metsälä, Vice President, Biogas, Gasum Ltd
Phone: +358 20 44 78 656 firstname.surname(a)gasum.fi

Olga Väisänen, Vice President, Communications, Gasum Ltd
Phone: +358 20 44 78 628 firstname.surname(a)gasum.fi

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