Germany’s largest biogas producer EnviTec Biogas AG looks back on one year of producing liquefied biomethane and liquefied carbon dioxide at EnviTec Bioenergie Güstrow in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany’s largest integrated liquefaction plant.
One year after commissioning Germany’s largest integrated bioLNG plant with carbon dioxide liquefaction (LCO2), the managing directors report a “thoroughly positive outcome.”
With up to 25,000 kg of bioLNG per day, we’re setting the bar very high in the market, said Jens Flerlage, Co-Managing Director of EnviTec Bioenergie Güstrow.
Originally built by EnviTec in 2009 as a biogas “gas-to-grid” plant, EnviTec acquired BioEnergie Park Güstrow in 2021 and has invested around EUR 50 million to refurbish and reconfigurate one of the country’s largest biogas plants to produce liquefied biomethane (bioLNG) instead.
The carbon-neutral fuel we purchase from Güstrow has been in use on Europe’s roads ever since, contributing to the decarbonization of heavy goods transport, said Silvano Calcagno, Managing Director of LIQVIS, the offtaker for the bioLNG.
Demand for liquefied biogenic carbon dioxide
There is currently a lot of interest in liquefied carbon dioxide (LCO2). According to the company, liquefied biogenic CO2 (bioLCO2) is a real all-rounder and is used in food preservation, the beverage and chemical industries, welding work, and air conditioning systems.
Furthermore, the demand for bioLCO2 is high.
The up to 18,000 tonnes of food-grade bioLCO2 produced each year are purchased entirely by our customer Carbo Kohlensäurewerke GmbH & Co. KG, explained Mathias Gastler, Co-Managing Director of EnviTec Bioenergie Güstrow.
Independent and flexible
EnviTec operates the 20-hectare Güstrow plant as an independent and flexible supplier of green fuel – biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG) to the grid or as bioLNG.
A great deal of intuition and an investment volume of over EUR 50 million were required before the opening ceremony in August last year. We’re currently in the process of expanding the plant, revealed Olaf von Lehmden, CEO of EnviTec Biogas.
With the plant, the biogas all-rounder has created a true flagship project. The dependency of the individual process steps is often more complex than in pure biogas plant construction.
Our experience from over 20 years of plant construction and operation goes hand in hand with the expertise of our colleagues from energy marketing, remarked Olaf von Lehmden.
This interdisciplinary interaction provides the basis and paves the way for this new milestone in the company’s history and toward the green gas transition.
