Liquid biomethane – balancing the energy system

The plant in Västerås is a unique facility in Sweden for the small scale production of liquified biomethane. One cubic meter of liquid biomethane equals 600 cubic meters of compressed biomethane and is used as buffer for the biogas production in Västerås.

– The study visit in Västerås confirmed for me that biomethane both as liquified gas and compressed gas is mature for use as fuel in the transport sector. It is now up to all involved stakeholders to create the conditions where the public sector can lead by example and lead the way through procurement to create a working market. The private stakeholders can contribute to this by requesting sustainable transport solutions to boost this market, says Beate Leggedör, Agri-Kultur, biogas consultant, who participated in the study trip.

At the study visit of the liquid biomethane filling station in Västerås

Biogas, which is a totally sustainable fuel, is a corner stone for a sustainable energy system. By producing biogas from waste from housholds, agrigulture one is able to return valuable nutrients to the soil while producing a locally produced sustainable fuel

The European Commission has pointed to biogas production in Europe as the way to replace natural gas in long haul transport, maritime use and the production of so-called e-fuels. The problem for several of the EU countries is that the market for biomethane is developed for cars and other light vehicles, a market that will soon be discontinued as the commission new directives on clean vehicles come in to an effect from 2035, where electric and fuel cell vehicles dominate totally. The BEST ACE project aims to develop national road maps for new uses of biomethane to ease the transition for the use of biomethane to other markets. It is important for these new market opportunities to be able to scale up the volume of available biomethane quickly to keep the biogas development going. By liquifying the biomethane the options for distribution and use becomes more flexible – and more opportunities open up.

– Liquifying the biomethane is an important part of a sustainable energy system, to make the biomethane accessible for long haul trucks and marine transports, but also as a balancing resource in the energy system as we see here in Västerås, says Tommy Lindström, project manager at Energikontor Syd, Sweden

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