Once complete, the biorefinery is expected to deliver biogas from renewable wood raw material for transmission to usage sites such as Helsingin Energia’s Vuosaari power plant via the Finnish natural gas network.
The power project follows the letter of intent signed by Gasum and Helsingin Energia in April this year.
Helsingin Energias CEO Seppo Ruohonen said the gas network allows the company to use renewable energy in an efficient, environmentally friendly and supply-secure manner.
Metsa-Botnia and its parent company Metsaliitto will oversee wood raw material procurement and biorefinery operation, while Gasum will be responsible for biogas injection into the gas network and distribution to gas users.
The biorefinery will gasify wood chips and refine them into at least 95% methane and the composition of the end product will therefore correspond to that of natural gas.
The parties are currently engaged with a feasibility study into the technical concept and business operating model of the biorefinery.
The construction of the biorefinery will take two to three years from the go-ahead decision, and the facility is expected to have a production capacity of 200MW.
