Finnish bioethanol project worth millions – Swedish SEKAB provides technology

In 2021, the biorefinery Nordfuel is planned to open in Northern Finland. The facility will produce bioethanol and biofuel from soft wood residues, an investment worth EURO 150 million. Swedish clean-tech company SEKAB E-Technology will provide the technology.

“To successfully tackle climate change, Europe will need all available bioethanol. Softwood residues are amongst the most climate-friendly raw materials available, and using them for ethanol production is made possible through our technology Celluapp,” says Marlene Mörtsell, Celluapp Technology Manager at SEKAB E-Technology.

Since March this year, SEKAB is demonstrating the Celluapp technology and the specific forest residue that will be used when the company, Kanteleen Voima, will start up Nordfuel in 2021 in Finnish town Haapavesi. Nordfuel will be a full-scale biorefinery, producing bioethanol and biogas for the transport sector, lignin to fuel the power plant in Haapavesi, as well as manure.

The investment totals at EURO 150 million, and when up and running, Nordfuel will be the biggest biogas production facility in the Nordic region.

”For us, there was never any doubt about who would become our technology provider for this project. The Celluapp technology is world-leading, and SEKAB has extensive experience in producing bioethanol from softwood residue,” says Teija Mäyrä, Head of Technology at Kanteleen Voima.

SEKAB’s technology platform Celluapp makes it possible to extract cellulose sugars and lignin from forest or agricultural residues, processing them into for instance biofuels or renewable chemical products. The technology can be used in new biorefineries, or to develop existing facilities.

About Nordfuel

• Capacity bioethanol: 65,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to 400,000 cars running on E10 fuel.
• Capacity biogas: 250 gigawatt hours per year, equivalent to the usage of 30,000 cars.
• Capacity lignin: 230,000 tonnes per year.
• Capacity manure: 64,000 tonnes per year.
• Investment: EURO 150 million, equivalent to SEK 1,56 billion.
• Start of operations: 2021.
• Site: Directly adjacent to the power plant in Haapavesi, 120 kilometres south of Uleåborg in Northern Finland.

Contacts

Marlene Mörtsell
Celluapp Technology Manager, SEKAB E-Technology
Phone: +46 (0)70-615 50 71
E-Mail: marlene.mortsell@sekab.com

Teija Mäyrä
Head of Technology, Kanteleen Voima Oy
Phone: +358 (0)44 5549 381
E-Mail: teija.mayra@nordfuel.fi

Source

SEKAB, press release, 2019-04-23.

Supplier

Nordfuel
SEKAB

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