Wärtsilä announced that it has received a notice to proceed for the proposed liquid biogas (bioLNG) plant to be built in Asker, Norway.
Image: Wärtsilä secures notice to proceed for bioLNG plant. Photo: Courtesy of Wärtsilä.
In April 2018, Wärtsilä received the contract for the plant from VEAS, a Norwegian wastewater treatment and biogas producing company, and in December 2018, the notice to proceed was signed.
The new facility is expected to include a biogas upgrading and liquefaction plant that will enable VEAS to produce vehicle quality biogas. The project is expected to create an alternative to fossil fuels and reduces CO2 emissions.
It will be incorporated together with the company’s existing biogas plant, which is considered as the biggest sewage sludge treatment plant in Norway serving nearly 750 000 people.
The total bioLNG production capacity from the new plant is estimated to be 20tons per day, which marks the Wärtsilä’s third bioLNG plant in Norway and the fifth across the globe.
Wärtsilä biogas liquefaction systems general manager Arne Jakobsen said: “Efficiency and environmental sustainability are two of the main pillars of Wärtsilä’s strategy for future energy use. This new plant represents both of these pillars, and we are proud to be partnering VEAS in this carbon reducing project.”
VEAS managing director Ragnhild Borchgrevink said: “Wärtsilä has the experience and technical know-how needed to integrate the new bioLNG facility with our existing plant. Their support throughout the project has been good, and they have shown themselves capable of meeting our demanding time schedule.”
Under the contract for the bioLNG plant, Wärtsilä will be responsible for upgrading of the biogas, hot water production, liquefaction, storage and truck loading capability.
To deliver the project on fast-track basis, the company intends to complete on-site installation within a 14-month time-frame and the plant is expected to become commercially operational during 2020.
Recently, the company has secured an order from Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to deliver a 132MW engine power plant for the Commonwealth of Bahamas. The power plant will be operated on seven high efficiency Wärtsilä 50 engines.