EnviTec's Bioenergie Park Güstrow has entered its trial operation phase, following a two-year conversion process, three wide-ranging approval applications and capital investment of over €50 million.
EnviTec held an inauguration ceremony yesterday (31 August) for Germany's largest integrated bio-LNG plant with CO2 liquefaction, and said it had achieved a milestone in the production of advanced fuels.
“We are more than proud to have led the way by pioneering our innovative plant design in the biogas industry and set the standards to follow for a greener transport sector,” said CEO Olaf von Lehmden in his speech at the ceremony.
With this plant, the engineering and operating company for biogas and gas upgrading plants now assumes the role of a supplier of carbon-neutral fuel to the utility/heavy goods vehicle market.
“Obviously, we would not be where we are today without the support of our entire EnviTec team,” von Lehmden continued. “So, I’d like to take a moment to thank not only our employees, whose day-to-day work has made this achievement possible, but also all of the tradespersons, companies, partners and regulators whose stalwart support has ensured the trouble-free completion of the conversion project.”
Alongside EnviTec’s CEO, government representatives such as Hartmut Höppner, Secretary of State at Germany's Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, also addressed the audience of more than 200 invited guests.
Other attendees included Hans-Joachim Polk, executive board member of Biogasrat+ e.V. and VNG AG; Stephan Ortolf, head of core corporate customers at DZ BANK; Przemyslaw Brozyna, managing director gas & cryogenics business unit at Air Liquide advanced Technologies; and LNG customer Silvano Calcagno, managing director of LIQVIS GmbH.
“With the completion of this trailblazing project for the decarbonisation of the heavy goods vehicle transport sector in Germany, EnviTec has not only demonstrated its pioneering entrepreneurial spirit but has also offered conclusive proof that the sustainable production of a carbon-neutral biofuel for HGVs is already possible in Germany.
"As one of the main buyers of the bio-LNG produced in Güstrow, we are very pleased to have been invited to participate in this forward-looking project,” said Calcagno in his speech.
A new operating model
Before being acquired by EnviTec Biogas, the 500 GW biogas upgrading plant fed into the 25-bar natural gas grid. This required the use of around 400,000 t of substrate as input, which largely consisted of sweetcorn, plus whole-crop/grass silage and cereals.
The plant’s new operating model involves reducing and reformulating these input materials.
As a result, 100,000 t of dry chicken manure from poultry farms is now used, as well as only 40,000 t of renewable raw materials.
Following the subsequent upgrading and liquefaction of biomethane into bio-LNG, plus CO2 liquefaction, the plant now handles the entire biogas value chain at a single location.
This process alone achieves potential savings of 100,000 t of CO2.
EnviTec holds inauguration ceremony for Bioenergie Park Güstrow
