Gasum and Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management have signed an agreement under which Gasum will buy biogas produced from a newly constructed plant in Koukkujärvi, Nokia, Finland.
Image: Gasum and Tampere to sell biogas. Photo: Courtesy of Gasum Oy.
Gasum will buy the biogas produced at Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management’s new biogas plant, which will be operational next year. The plant will process biowaste from 17 municipalities and wastewater sludge from the city of Nokia. The plant will produce renewable biogas and organic fertilizers.
The facility is expected to have an annual production capacity of around 25GWh of biogas, with majority of this to be sent to Gasum’s transmission network. This will be equivalent of consuming around 2000 gas-fuelled cars and will cover the biogas sales of Gasum’s filling stations in Tampere region along with the growing demand of the years ahead.
Gasum biogas business development director Matti Oksanen said: “Buying biogas from Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management enables us to support the targets set for transport emission reductions and improve access to biogas. Our collaboration is an excellent example of the regional opportunities available in circular economy where the value of waste as a raw material is understood.”
For Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management, using biogas as transport fuel can help in placing itself as a frontrunner in waste management supply chain, apart from reducing emissions.
Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management managing director Harri Kallio said: “By collaborating with Gasum we can secure the full energy recovery of biogas right from the opening of the plant. We’ll organize centralized competitive tendering for waste transport and will therefore be able to generate significant growth in demand for biogas as a road fuel.”
Tampere Regional Solid Waste Management is a company owned by 17 municipalities.
The new two-line biogas plant, which is connected to wastewater treatment plant, is expected to offer a major improvement to the company’s treatment services. The plant will be constructed with an investment of more than €23m.