In Finland, energy company Tampereen Sähkölaitos Oy and compatriot power-to-gas (PtG) project developer Nordic Ren-Gas Oy, have signed a cooperation agreement regarding the feasibility study of a proposed PtG plant to produce renewable e-methane and green hydrogen in the Tarastenjärvi power plant area in Tampere.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
Nordic Ren-Gas is developing a power-to-gas (PtG) production plant in the Tarastenjärvi area, in which, the raw materials for the power-to-gas process are carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and renewable electricity.
The output of the PtG production process is a clean electro-synthetic natural gas (eSNG or e-methane) fuel for the heavy road transport sector.
Renewable eSNG can be used in transportation in the same way as biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG).
At the same time, Tampereen Sähkölaitos can use the waste heat from the PtG plant for its district heating network, whereby the amount of CO2-free district heat in the network is increased.
Feasibility study
The signed cooperation agreement is a continuation of the preliminary study of the project carried out by the companies in the autumn of 2021. Nordic Ren-Gas will lead the work on the feasibility study which will commence immediately in February 2022.
The feasibility study will ensure the technical and commercial feasibility of the proposed PtG plant before the final investment decision (FID) is taken.
If implemented, the Tarastenjärvi PtG project would represent a significant investment in the Finnish hydrogen economy.
The proposed plant has an electrolysis capacity of more than 60 MW and the total investment is worth more than EUR 150 million.
The Tarastenjärvi PtG would produce the e-methane equivalent of the annual fuel usage of about 900 diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles (HDV), around 24 million litres.
Thus the proposed facility would create a significant logistical hub in Nordic Ren-Gas’s clean gas fuel production network and contribute to the achievement of Tampere Sähkölaitos’s carbon neutrality target.
Ren-Gas implements a network for the production and distribution of clean power-to-gas fuels for heavy road transport in Finland. Our announced projects in Tampere, Lahti, and Mikkeli form the Hydrogen Spearhead of Finland, which will enable the deployment of clean gas fuels in heavy-duty road transport in Finland from 2025 onwards. The Tarastenjärvi production facility located at one of Finland’s road transport hubs is a very important part of the Hydrogen Spearhead in Finland and the countrywide production and distribution network designed by Ren-Gas, said Saara Kujala, CEO of Nordic Ren-Gas.
Low-carbon district heat
The carbon dioxide is to be recovered from the flue gases produced at the Tammervoima Oy’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant – a public-private partnership between municipal waste management company Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto Oy and Tampereen Sähkölaitos.
Renewable electricity for the electrolyzer will be acquired through long-term contracts with new wind power plants.
Tampere Sähkölaitos would benefit from the PtG plant both in terms of reduced CO2 emissions and by an increase in the share of renewable district heat.
The CO2 from mixed waste incineration would utilized in the production of eSNG while the heat from the electrolyzer can be recovered for use in district heating reducing the overall need for combustion-based heat production in Tampere.
The planned plant complex will spearhead the future circular economy solutions and we want to be involved in developing these solutions in Tampere. Together with Ren-Gas, we are enabling carbon capture and utilization, while at the same time gaining access to competitive, carbon dioxide-free district heating and reducing CO2 emissions from waste incineration. This project facilitates the achievement of the Carbon Neutral Tampere 2030 target, and it offers new opportunities to utilize the district heating network as a platform for new business, said Jussi Laitinen, CEO of Tampereen Sähkölaitos.
The permitting, pre-engineering, and financing arrangements for the project will take place once the results of the feasibility study are ready, and its results are positive.
The construction of the plant is then planned to begin in 2023 and be completed by the end of 2028.
