Gasum to invest in a new biogas plant in Borlänge, Sweden, to bring more renewable energy to the market

Gasum continues its plan to increase the availability of biogas by investing over 62 million euros in the construction of a biogas plant in Borlänge, Sweden. The project has been granted a subsidy of 15 million euros from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Klimatklivet investment program.

Construction of the plant will begin during spring 2024. By using a feedstock mixture of regionally sourced organic household waste and manure the plant will produce 133 gigawatt hours (GWh) worth of liquefied biogas (LBG) per year from 2026 onwards.

Biogas is a renewable and climate friendly fuel that is produced from different types of organic waste. In its liquefied form it can be used in shipping, road transport, including heavy-duty vehicles, and in industrial use. It is a highly attractive fuel as it can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 90 per cent when compared to traditional fuels.

Regionally sourced organic household waste and manure as feedstock

The Borlänge plant will be using a total amount of 270,000 tons of feedstock per year. Household waste will be collected and processed by Gasum’s local partner Borlänge Energi, and manure will be sourced from farmers in the Borlänge area.

“The Borlänge plant is the northernmost of Gasum’s biogas plants in Sweden, and we are looking forward to our close cooperation with Borlänge Energi. This investment is the next step towards our goal to increase our own biogas production to two terawatt hours (TWh) a year by 2027,” says Erik Woode, Head of Production at Gasum.

In addition to liquefied biogas the Borlänge plant will produce 250,000 tons of high quality environmentally friendly fertilizers per year. Compared to fossil fertilizers, recycled fertilizers contain organic matter which is important in maintaining the growing conditions and weather resistance of farmlands.

The Borlänge plant is the second plant in a series of five large-scale biogas plants Gasum plans to construct in Sweden. The construction of the first plant, located in Götene, began in February 2023 and is expected to start producing biogas at the end of 2024. The remaining three plants will be located in Kalmar, Sjöbo, and Hörby. Gasum is also planning a biogas plant near Trondheim in Norway.

The projects are part of Gasum’s renewed strategy to invest heavily in Nordic biogas availability in coming years. Gasum’s goal is to bring seven terawatt hours (7 TWh) of renewable gas yearly to the market by 2027. Achieving this goal would mean a total emissions reduction of 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide for Gasum’s customers.