Gasum's biogas enables the first green freight corridor in the Baltic Sea

Freight between Finland and Sweden can now be transported with 90 per cent lower emissions.

Food business operator Orkla Suomi, transport company Scandic Trans and Viking Line have launched scheduled freight service along a green freight corridor. Felix ketchup, produced by the Orkla Group in Fågelmara, began to be shipped to Finland using green biofuels in July.

The transport chain starts at the biggest ketchup factory in the Nordic region, with Scandic Trans lorries from Korsholm driving to Viking Line’s terminal in Stadsgården, Stockholm. The lorries then cross the Archipelago Sea on the climate-smart Viking Glory and Viking Grace and deliver their load to Orkla’s logistics centre in Turku, Finland.

Thanks to the biofuels, carbon dioxide emissions along the 683 kilometer long transport chain are reduced by 90 per cent compared to fossil fuel. Scandic Trans refuels its lorries with biofuel produced from hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), while Viking Line buys liquefied biogas (LBG) produced with organic waste from Gasum to cover fuel use during transport.

For each shipment, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced from 1,512 kilograms to 102 kilograms. That means an annual decrease in emissions of about 190 tons. The green freight corridor has attracted a lot of interest throughout the Nordic countries, and other companies are expected to join in soon.

Liquefied biogas also used for low-emission road logistics

It is also possible to use liquefied biogas as fuel in road transport when the truck has a gas-fueled engine. Biogas offers an equal reduction in emissions both on land and at sea, on average 90 per cent lower lifecycle emissions compared to traditional fossil fuel such as diesel.

Gasum is the largest biogas producer in the Nordic countries with a total of 17 biogas plants in Finland and Sweden. Gasum also imports biogas from other European countries. Gasum continuously invests in increasing biogas production by building new biogas plants and improving existing ones.

In the near future, Gasum will also be offering e-methane, a synthetic and very low emission gas produced with renewable electricity. E-methane is directly suitable for equipment and machinery already running on natural gas, biogas, liquefied natural gas or liquefied biogas.

Gasum's strategic target is to bring seven terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable gas per year to the Nordic market by 2027, which is four times more than today. This would mean an annual total emission reduction of 1.8 million tons of carbon dioxide for Gasum's customers.