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According to statement by Rohe, first supplies of bio-LNG, or liquefied biomethane, were produced on August 29.
Rohe announced in September last year its plans to liquefy biomethane at the Hamina LNG terminal, owned by Hamina Energy, Alexela, and Wartsila.
Hamina LNG, which launched commercial operations in October 2022, provides storage services from one 30,000-cbm LNG tank as well as regasification and injection services into the Finnish gas transmission network with a daily capacity of 6,000 MWh.
Other services include LNG truck loading, vessel unloading and loading, and bunkering.
Since last autumn, Rohe has been “actively preparing to start the production, which is a significant step both for the company and the energy market in the Baltic Sea region,” the firm said.
Rohe collaborates with Hamina LNG to produce bio-LNG.
According to the firm, the Hamina LNG terminal is now the third terminal in Europe where liquefaction from the grid is possible.
Liquefaction from the grid improves the capability of the gas system and enables more efficient use of the existing gas grid infrastructure, it said.
With the start of production, LNG users will have better possibilities of acquiring ISCC EU certified bio-LNG.
This will also mean an increase in the demand for biogas for the producers that feed into the gas grid, the company said.
“The availability of bio-LNG in Finland is currently still limited, as larger-scale biogas production projects are only in their early stages. Liquefaction from the grid is our response to the growing demand for biofuels, especially in the short term,” Sanna Kokkonen, CEO of Rohe, said.
First delivery to Estonia
Rohe said the first delivery of bio-LNG was delivered in Estonia on Friday to refueling stations of its parent company Alexela.
The company said it plans to increase the production of bio-LNG and respond to the growing demand for biomethane in the Finnish market as well.
“The potential of bio-LNG has been recognized in maritime and road transport, as well as in industry,” Kokkonen said.
“We see this as the first step towards replacing LNG in Finland and its neighboring areas with produced bio-LNG,” she said.
Alexela and Hamina Energy established Rohe as a joint venture in 2018.
However, Alexela acquired 50 percent of the remaining shares in Rohe from Hamina Energy in August last year.
As a result, Rohe became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexela.