The Nordic energy company Gasum will supply 250 tons of liquefied biogas to the world’s leading manufacturer of tool steel for industrial tools Uddeholms AB for their sustainability week in mid-December. The biogas will be delivered to Uddeholms’ plant in Hagfors, Sweden.

The steel production in Hagfors has a large energy consumption. The energy comes from a mix of different sources such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), electricity and other sources. During Uddeholms sustainability week both the electricity and the gas will be switched to even more sustainable options. The LNG will be replaced with 250 tons LBG from Gasum, equalling approximately 3.8 GWh.

“We are very happy to provide LBG to an energy intensive industry’s forerunner like Uddeholms AB. It is crucial to keep the biogas production on an industrial scale and increase the production further for companies to invest in renewable energy alternatives, such as biogas,” says Tommy Mattila, Vice President Industry, Gasum.

This is not the first time biogas has been used in the production of steel in Hagfors. During 2018 Gasum supplied biogas to the plant for one day as a sustainability pilot project. Now the company expands the pilot to a week of biogas with drastic reductions in carbon emissions. Uddeholms has lowered the CO2-emissions by 46% since 1990. Now they are ready for the next step starting by using LBG during their sustainability week.

The use of biogas will reduce carbon dioxide emissions with up to 90 procent 

Gasum operates 17 biogas plants in Sweden and Finland. Its goal is to reach cumulative carbon emission reductions of million tons by increasing its biogas production. By 2025 the energy company intends to make 4 TWh of biogas available on the market from the company’s own production and that of its certified European partners.

Biogas is a 100 percent renewable fuel that can be used in the same infrastructure as natural gas. Using it can reduce the fuel’s life cycle carbon dioxide emissions up to 90 percent when compared to conventional industry fuels such as oil or LPG (propane).

Biogas is produced from organic waste such as household biowaste, manure and agricultural and food industry’s sidestreams. The nutrient residues from biogas production are utilized as fertilizers in fields. Using the residue as fertilizer reduces the need to use conventional artificial fertilizer.