The technology group Wärtsilä will supply two large-scale biogas upgrading plants to different locations in Denmark. The order was placed by Nature Energy, a biomethane company. By injecting biomethane – the end product of upgraded biogas – to the gas grid, Denmark will be taking an important step towards its stated ambition of becoming a climate neutral and fossil-free nation. The agreement with Wärtsilä dates to early 2019, but the project was delayed because of permit applications. Production of the upgrading unit has been initiated in the fourth quarter of 2020, when also the orders were included in Wärtsilä’s order book.
Biogas is produced primarily from waste products, such as manure and food waste. When upgraded to biomethane, it can be utilised in the same way as natural gas for heat, powering industrial processes, and as transport fuel. It is a renewable energy solution since the remaining digestate can be sold as bio-fertiliser. Currently biomethane accounts for approximately 20% of Denmark’s gas consumption, and the aim is for the grid to become totally green by 2035.
“Wärtsilä Biogas Solutions is a market leader offering innovative systems and lifecycle solutions to the gas value chain. Our biogas upgrading plants are based on Wärtsilä’s Puregas CA technology, an amine scrubber process featuring the lowest operating costs. We have enjoyed a long and constructive relationship with Nature Energy and are proud to have again been chosen for these latest projects,” comments Arne Jakobsen, General Manager, Biogas Solutions at Wärtsilä Gas Solutions.
“The amine scrubber technology is both robust and reliable, providing very low methane slip and cost-effective operating performance. We have worked often with Wärtsilä and are confident, therefore, that the plants will be completed on time and will operate with the usual efficiency,” says Jesper Bundgaard, Executive Vice President at Nature Energy.
The two plants are to be installed in the towns of Kvaers and Kong, with each plant upgrading more than 40 million Nm3of biogas each year. This will deliver some 470 GWh of green gas energy, equivalent to providing the fuel for more than 45,000 cars. It is expected that the plants will begin injecting biomethane to the Danish gas grid in 2022.
