Wärtsilä to extend existing biogas plant to produce 45 tons of bioLNG per day

Technology group Wärtsilä will supply, install, commission and start-up the biogas upgrading and liquefaction units for a Swedish bioLNG plant. The new plant is an extension of an existing biomethane and bioLNG plant supplied earlier by Wärtsilä, and will bring the production of bioLNG from 20 to 45 tons per day. The plant, located in Linköping, is owned by Tekniska Verken, a municipality owned company and a pioneer in Sweden in biogas and bioLNG production. The order with Wärtsilä was booked in Q4, 2023.

The Wärtsilä processing solution includes its patented VAC vacuum technology option in the upgrader, which offers greater flexibility for the heat supply to the upgrader. This allows the customer to supply the needed process heat from their own district heating network.

“By expanding our capacity for biomethane in both gaseous and liquid form, we are complementing our existing upgrading and liquefaction plant, as well as continuing to contribute in the journey towards our vision of becoming the world’s most resource-effective region. Our experience with the existing Wärtsilä plant has been positive, so we are looking forward to this extension project,” said Anna Lövsén, CEO Svensk Biogas and Business Area Manager, Biogas, Tekniska Verken.

“Tekniska Verken is in the forefront of producing and promoting bioLNG in Sweden, and we are honoured to have been selected to further extend their existing plant. Our corporate policy is to enable decarbonised operations wherever possible, and we look forward to delivering another high-performance process solution,” commented Magnus Folkelid, Sales Manager Biogas, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions.

The plant produces biomethane from organic waste, including food waste, and from the municipality’s wastewater treatment residue. The bioLNG is used as fuel for the transport sector and industry in Sweden. At Tekniska Verken’s subsidiaries Svensk Biogas bioLNG filling stations for heavy vehicles represents a circular business model. It is fully renewable and, depending upon the feedstock from which it is produced, can even be carbon negative.

The Wärtsilä scope features its Puregas biogas upgrading system Puregas CA, its Mixed Refrigerant (MR) biogas liquefaction solution, a 250 m3 storage tank, an export station, and a Boil Off Gas (BOG) module. The biogas upgrading system has the capacity to also send biomethane to the local biogas grid.

The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled to be delivered in December 2024, and the new plant is expected to become operational in the first half of 2025.

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions is a market leader with innovative systems and lifecycle solutions for the gas value chain. Our main focus areas are the handling of gas in seaborne transport (storage, fuel, transfer and BOG management), gas to power, liquefaction and biogas solutions. We help our customers on their journey towards a sustainable future through a focus on lifecycle performance, innovation and digitalisation.

Tekniska Verken offers services in the areas of electricity, water, waste, biogas, district heating, broadband and renewable energy. They are building the world’s most resource-efficient region by working with sustainable social development and smart solutions, in a way that minimises the environmental impact and makes life easier for customers.

Source: Wartsila.