Rohe Solutions, a joint venture of Finland’s Hamina Energy and Estonia’s Alexela, has revealed plans to liquefy biogas at the Hamina LNG terminal.
Hamina Energy and Alexela, along with Finnish tech firm Wartsila, also own the Hamina LNG terminal operated by Hamina LNG.
Hamina LNG launched commercial operations in October last year and 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.
According to a statement by Rohe, the firm plans to liquefy biogas from the grid at the Hamina LNG terminal with first pilot deliveries of bio-LNG expected in the first quarter of 2024.
Rohe sells natural gas, LNG, and biogas as well as related services based on the needs of industrial manufacturing, heavy goods transportation, and maritime traffic.
In 2024, Rohe said it will also offer its customers bio-LNG, or liquefied biogas.
The firm is part of Haminan kaasuklusteri, a Finnish coalition of gas and energy companies operating in the Hamina area.
As part of the coalition, the company will be able to offer extensive bio-LNG supply channels also beyond Finland, it said.
Bio-LNG demand on the rise
According to Rohe, the market demand of bio-LNG is growing “rapidly”, but domestic production in Finland is still very limited.
Furthermore, ongoing projects to increase domestic production are “only at an early stage”.
The availability of bio-LNG has therefore been a challenge, especially regarding short term needs.
Especially smaller biogas producers will benefit from the possibility of biogas liquefaction at the LNG terminal since this can be done without the producer having to make costly investments in liquefaction equipment, the firm said.
To be liquefied at the terminal, locally produced biogas must be injected into the national gas grid.
“Rohe Solutions is cooperating with various stakeholders to increase the supply of biogas. By liquefying biogas from the grid, we will be able to offer bio-LNG to the market before the planned biogas production plant projects are completed,” Rohe’s CEO Sanna Kokkonen said.