Gas filling station opened at IKEA store in Raisio – circular economy plays a key role in reducing traffic emissions

Energy company Gasum and IKEA Finland continue to work together with the opening of a gas filling station on June 14 at the IKEA store in Raisio. This new filling station improves the availability of low-emission road fuel gas and promotes the circular economy in the Turku economic region. Two gas filling stations were opened at IKEA stores in 2018, one at the IKEA store in Lommila, Espoo and the other at the IKEA store in Porttipuisto, Vantaa. Cooperation between the companies aims to open more gas filling stations.

In addition to gas filling stations opening in the vicinity of IKEA stores, cooperation also includes utilizing waste food from IKEA’s instore restaurants in the production of biogas and a chance to use the gas in IKEA’s logistics. Biogas is made from waste food as well as household and industrial biowaste and sewage sludge. Use of environmentally friendly Finnish biogas can help cut emissions by up to 85% compared to fossil fuels. Not only that, gas produces just a fraction of local emissions compared to conventional fuels and this in turn improves urban air quality.

“Responsibility and sustainability are important values to us and guide all our business. We’re proud to be able to offer our customers an eco-friendly fuel option in the vicinity of IKEA stores. At the same time as we are actively working to reduce food waste, we are also promoting the circular economy by using the little food waste from our restaurants in the production of low-emission fuel,” says Jessica Lehtinen, Country Sustainability Manager at IKEA Finland.

IKEA Finland aims to gradually replace the vehicles used by its staff and IKEA buses with vehicles powered by biogas or some other environmentally friendly fuel.

Growing demand for cleaner fuel

Finland aims to halve emissions from transport by 2030 compared to the levels in 2005. This calls for private motorists and businesses alike to make some quick changes. To support emissions reduction targets, the Transport Climate Policy working group set a target to have 130,000 gas vehicles on Finnish roads by 2030 and 250,000 by 2045. There are currently more than 7,000 vehicles on Finnish roads and gas motoring is showing a sharp growth in popularity in different vehicle categories.

“Recent years have seen brisk growth in the popularity of gas vehicles. In 2018, for example, the number of gas passenger cars registered was almost double compared to 2017. In addition, the recent Suomalaisten autoilu 2019 motoring survey shows that drivers clocking up more than 20,000 km a year are more interested in a gas vehicle than in a fully electric vehicle,” says Heidi Kuoppala, Business Manager, Sales, Traffic, Gasum. “It’s pleasing to notice how more and more consumers and businesses are committed to the environment by choosing a gas vehicle. Besides reducing emissions, they also considerably reduce their fuel costs.”

Growing the road fuel gas market and increasing biogas production are key elements in Gasum’s strategy. Gasum will complete its expansion project of the Topinoja biogas plant in Turku in the second half of the year to enable greater use of sewage sludge and waste in the production of biogas and nutrient products. The biogas produced at the plant will go for use in road transport. In late May, Gasum opened a gas filling station in Oulu, currently the northernmost of its kind, and a second filling station in Lahti. In addition to future gas filling stations in conjunction with IKEA stores, August will see Gasum also open a gas filling station in Seinäjoki. Besides which, also other actors are building new gas filling stations, which will further add to the network.

To mark the opening of the new filling station in Raisio, drivers of gas-fueled vehicles can fill up with biogas or natural gas at the Raisio station at a reduced price of just €1/kg (comparable price €0.641/l). This special offer is available from 18 June to 21 June.

The filling station is at Itäniityntie 15.