12.04.2022

Is biogas an option for my industry? – The comprehensive answer

Biogas is an existing fully renewable alternative for fossil fuels in industrial use. It enables significant emission cuts and promotes a circular economy that turns our waste into energy. Gasum offers its customers solutions to enable effortless use of biogas regardless of whether the customer has access to the gas grid.

What do two seemingly different companies — hygiene and health company Essity and sugar manufacturer Sucros have in common? They have all decided to lower their emissions by using renewable biogas in their industrial processes.

The above-mentioned companies are just a few examples of industries utilising biogas to reduce their negative impact on climate and to reach their sustainability targets. As an energy source, biogas is a viable alternative for any fossil fuel, such as coal, oil, or natural gas. It is also great way for companies to be a part of the circular economy.

“Biogas can be used anywhere where natural gas is an option. Both are methane – they are just produced differently. Biogas is also interchangeable with natural gas which means that you can utilise the same infrastructure,” says Sales Manager Matti Ojanpää from Gasum.

Guarantees of Origin ensure biogas’ sustainability

Biogas is purchased as Guarantees of Origin (GOs) that prove how and where the purchased biogas was produced and that the amount of biogas purchased has been injected into the gas grid. This ensures that the production and the consumption of biogas add up.

Biogas availability will get even better as the EU’s member states start executing the EU’s latest Renewable Energy Directive (REDII). This will make purchasing biogas produced anywhere in the EU easier.

“Before the new directive the GOs for biogas were country specific. Now the scheme is standardized in EU which is a big improvement,” says Matti Ojanpää.

Biogas is also available off-grid

Biogas can also be purchased and utilised without access to the gas grid. Gasum’s solutions for off-grid customer vary from deliveries to customer terminals.

When the customer is off-grid, biogas is delivered either as compressed biogas (CBG) for smaller installations or as liquefied biogas (LBG). Gasum’s LBG is either produced in its own biogas plants, or purchased from trusted European producers. The biogas purchased from Europe is ISCC certified which means that its whole value chain is documented and verified for proof of sustainability.

“Our terminals and truck fleet ensure security of supply and scalability depending on the customers needs. Basically, there is no maximum to the volume delivered,” says Ojanpää.

The scalability works also for the customer terminals. Gasum has executed more than 30 customer terminals in Finland, Sweden, and Norway, all tailored to suit the customer’s needs.

“We aren’t a hardware supplier but we want to enable effortless use of gas for all our customers. That is why we offer solutions from GOs to LBG deliveries and customer terminals,” concludes Ojanpää.