03.03.2022

Sweden is a forerunner in sustainable energy – And it wants biogas from Gasum

Sweden has been investing in sustainable energy through its Klimatklivet grants, and it has made the country a forerunner. As a result, the demand for biogas is soaring and Gasum is stepping up to answer it. But biogas is not the end stop and this is acknowledged also in Gasum’s strategy. In the future, decarbonising the energy sector relies also on synthetic methane and hydrogen.

Gasum is living up to its target of producing 2 TWh of biogas by 2025. It is currently planning and constructing five new biogas plants to southern Sweden. Each one of the plants has received a grant of 15 million euros from Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Klimatklivet investment program.

By investing heavily on scaling up its biogas production Gasum is answering to the high demand of biogas especially in Sweden.

There is clearly a positive feeling in Sweden around renewable energy that is creating the demand. It can be seen in both the market and the political response. The support from Klimatklivet show’s that the Swedish government sees Gasum as a trustworthy partner in circular economy,” says Erik Woode, Director of Project Development & Execution from Gasum.

Manure is a potential feedstock for biogas plants

The feedstock for the new biogas plants comes from the surrounding countryside and its agriculture. The locations of the plants are based on Gasum’s feedstock studies. Biogas is produced according to the principles of circular economy. This means that biogas production is based on recycling and reusing feedstock and this way reducing the amount of waste and emissions.

The new plants in Sweden will utilise mainly manure as their feedstock. It is a potentially valuable feedstock available in large quantities that has previously been an almost untapped source of biogas in larger production units. Manure is also a feedstock that has the ability to turn biogas from a low-carbon to a carbon-negative fuel. It both lowers the greenhouse gas emissions when used e.g. in the traffic sector and mitigates the emissions generated by the traditional treatment of manure.

In the circular economy, the aim is to make the most of what you have. Low value and low quality resources, like manure, can be regenerated in biogas systems that generate high value fuel and nutrients substituting fossil alternatives. Astonishing, isn’t it,” explains Mats Eklund, Professor in Enviromental Technology and Management at Linköping University.

Decarbonisation is the new buzzword

Even though biogas is renewable and sustainable, it is not the end stop. Gasum’s Erik Woode firmly believes that as time progresses the talk about decarbonisation in general will increase.

In relation to this, Gasum is looking into producing synthetic methane by utilising the carbon dioxide from biogas production and combining it with renewably produced hydrogen. Mats Eklund thinks this will be useful.

“The process of methanation, where carbon dioxide reacts with hydrogen, will drastically improve the efficiency of the biogas systems and thereby increase the total potential of methane produced. It will all be needed, considering the huge demand for renewable and sustainable alternatives to the fossil energy,” Eklund says.

Synthetic methane isn’t yet commercially available in large scale but Erik Woode says that this will change in just five years or less. Gasum has already started the development in dialogue with key stakeholders.

This will be a big change. Gasum is prepared to invest heavily in renewable fuels that will be needed in the near future and we have a startegy that acknowledges this. I’m glad to see that the necessary development towards decarbonisation is accelerating and it is great to be a part of it,” Erik Woode concludes.