Following the commissioning and successful performance test runs for two EnviThan gas upgrading plants within the short space of six months—and in the middle of the pandemic—Estonian customer AS EG Ehitus has now ordered its third plant from EnviTec Biogas. The gas upgrading plant plus CNG (compressed natural gas) compressor unit will be put into service at the existing biogas plant no later than May 2021. “Following our two projects in Tartu and Vinni, this plant in Oisu is solid proof of the long-term partnerships we achieve with our customers,” says Lars von Lehmden, Managing Director of EnviTec Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG.
Following the successful collaboration between the two companies on the first two gas upgrading plants, the customer, a subsidiary of gas network operator AS Eesti Gaas, decided to work with EnviTec Biogas on another project. The new gas upgrading plant has a capacity of 427 Nm3/h biomethane and is operated with raw gas from wet manure and food waste. Following the completion of the plant, the biomethane will be compressed into CNG for distribution to the transport sector. This will involve filling the green fuel into truck trailers for delivery to service stations. “As a substitute for diesel in the transport sector, this is where biomethane can make a lasting contribution to climate protection,” emphasises Lars von Lehmden. And this approach is also attractive for Germany from a purely economic perspective: “It simply makes more sense to invest in the infrastructure that’s already in place than to focus on building a whole new infrastructure for EVs,” Lehmden continues.
Before biogas can be upgraded to biomethane, the raw gas must first be purified and conditioned. As with the other plants, the Oisu plant will also use the innovative EnviThan biogas upgrading technology for this step. For this environmentally friendly and exceptionally cost-effective process, EnviTec Biogas equips its gas upgrading plants with membrane modules from Evonik Fibres. The hollow fibre membranes purify the raw biogas generated in the biogas plants to yield a final methane content of over 97% purity by volume.
The Republic of Estonia is the smallest Baltic state, with just 1.3 million inhabitants—roughly the same population as Lower Saxony in Germany. Estonia joined the European Union in 2004 and also has the lowest national debt of any EU member state: this gives it a positive entrepreneurial climate that also benefits those in the renewable energy sector.
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About EnviTec Biogas AG
As a biogas all-rounder, EnviTec Biogas AG covers the entire value chain for the production and upgrading of biogas, including the planning and turnkey construction of biogas plants and biogas upgrading plants as well as their commissioning. The company takes charge of biological and technical services on demand, and also offers integrated plant and operational management services. EnviTec operates 76 of its own plants, making it the largest biogas producer in Germany. EnviTec’s business interests also include the direct marketing of upgraded biomethane as well as the marketing of electricity and balancing energy. The company is represented in 16 countries worldwide by its own companies, sales offices, strategic partners and joint ventures. In 2019, the EnviTec Group generated revenue of EUR 213.6 million and EBIT of EUR 10.3 million. The Group currently employs over 450 people worldwide. EnviTec Biogas AG has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since July 2007.