Man in woods biogas

Renewable energy production, come spring

The construction at the Gasum biogas plant at Nymölla Mill in Sweden multicopy.co/en/biogas/ continues with the highest safety standards. Small delays have taken place due to measures taken to manage the construction process during the pandemichas. However, the biogas plant will be up and running during spring 2021, transforming  residue water into renewable energy (Liquefied Biogas – LBG). Gasum’s Christian Strandberg and Stora Enso’s Henric Höglind are kind enough to give us a status update.

Time for tests and commissioning

After a short holiday break, the construction team is now back to work, finalizing the assembly stage.

– The installation of equipment has been completed, we’re now working on electricity and instrumentation. From this point, up until the start of operation, our work is all about tests and commissioning of the equipment. There are many details and functions that need to be tested – and re-tested –before it is safe to push “start”, says Christian Strandberg.

The pandemic’s impact

Every step of constructing the plant has been, or is, affected by the pandemic, ranging from not getting staff and international experts to travel to Sweden, to limited access of equipment and delayed deliveries. 

– Covid-19 has impacted our timetables for the construction of the biogas plant.. . However, we need to ensure that the highest safety standards are met for both the Stora Enso and Gasum personnel as well as their international partners. We’re keeping a close dialogue to help each other plan our work effectively says Henric Höglind.

– In the bigger scope things are going well – work is proceeding according to the revised plan and the plant will be completed this spring, Christian Strandberg continues.

Positive reactions

The interest for this unique project – the first collaboration of its kind in Sweden – is huge. The team working on site is getting much attention and positive feedback, from the people at the mill and the local community, from other actors in the pulp and paper industry as well as from the media. And producing LBG from the wastewater stream is a great concept with benefits for everyone involved and above all – the planet.

Henric Höglind again:

– From our perspective here at Nymölla Mill, the spontaneous reaction when realizing that the biogas plant will soon be a reality is ”Finally!” We had been working on a plan to make use of the wastewater for many years before we found Gasum. And I’m delighted to see how well we cooperate.

– In the biogas sphere this project is very well known and Gasum is being noticed by many different industries. We are building a strong presence on the renewable energy scene. The circumstances in this cooperation are quite unique – the paper making process used here is perfect for LBG production and can’t really be copied. But there are other methods for creating energy from waste that can be used by other actors, says Strandberg.

At Stora Enso, we’re thrilled to take part in creating a fossil free future – happy to be an inspiration to other actors and industries. Come spring, the biogas plant will have a yearly LBG production of 75–80 GWh – enough to run a bus one leap around the globe, every day, 365 days a year. Wow!

Stay tuned for news on the launch date!

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