Construction of a biogas liquefaction plant at the Port of Gothenburg has reached an important milestone with the installation of its storage tank for liquefied biogas (LBG). The facility is being built and owned by Nordion Energi and is scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2027. It is expected to play a key role in making Swedish biogas more widely available to a range of sectors, particularly shipping.
LBG is a renewable fuel with a low climate impact that can replace fossil alternatives across several sectors. Interest in the fuel is growing rapidly, particularly in the maritime industry.
“The transition to more sustainable shipping requires a coordinated value chain. This facility strengthens the port’s position in renewable bunker fuels and will enable us to offer LBG to shipping on a larger scale. With an increasing number of vessels being ordered for LBG operation, we also see good opportunities for increased bunkering at the Port of Gothenburg,” said Therese Jällbrink, head of renewable energy at the port.
Groundworks, including foundations and concrete slabs, have been completed, with the LBG storage tank the first of the facility’s main components to be installed. The tank was transported to the Port of Gothenburg by ship and has a capacity of 500 cbm. Weighing almost 140 tonnes, it will be able to store up to 200 tonnes of LBG once the facility is operational.
“This is an important milestone. The facility is now really beginning to take shape, and we are moving closer to our goal of supplying LBG from the gas grid to shipping, heavy transport and industry,” said Carolina Wistén, head of customers and markets for gas networks at Nordion Energi.
The liquefaction plant will be the first in Sweden to be directly connected to the western Swedish gas network. It will also create a new market for Swedish biogas producers that are already connected, or wish to connect, to the gas grid.
Both producers and users are already established at the port. ST1 Biokraft has previously signed an agreement to secure part of the liquefaction plant’s capacity, while several shipping companies that regularly call at the port are already using LBG to power their vessels.
Scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2027, the facility will have the capacity to supply 250 GWh of LBG annually. This is equivalent to the annual fuel consumption of approximately 500 trucks or the bunkering requirements of 50 vessels.