Ørsted and Bigadan complete Eastern Denmark’s ‘biggest’ biogas plant

Ørsted and Bigadan have finished construction on what they claim is Eastern Denmark’s biggest biogas plant.

The facility, located in Kalundborg, is co-owned by Ørsted, a major Danish power company, and Bigadan, a biogas plant constructor. It will process waste from Novo Nordisk and Novozymes factories in Kalundborg, converting it into biogas and fertilisers.

According to a statement, the two companies have just finished building the plant. It was inaugurated on 18 June by the Danish minister for Energy, Utilities and Climate.

“Kalundborg Bioenergy is a fantastic example of how we can exploit the value in residues. Novo Nordisk and Novozymes produce insulin and enzymes in Kalundborg which are sold all over the world, and now the residues from production will be converted into energy and fertiliser at a local plant,” said Thomas Dalsgaard, Executive Vice President and CEO of Bioenergy & Thermal Power, Ørsted.

The new biogas plant will process approximately 300,000 tonnes of biomass from Novo Nordisk and Novozymes. Residues will be converted to biogas, which is then upgraded to bio-natural gas – a substitute for fossil natural gas which delivers significant carbon savings.

According to a statement, the plant can produce 8 million cubic metres of bio-natural gas a year. This corresponds to the natural gas consumption of approximately 5,000 households, representing a carbon saving of approximately 17,000 tonnes a year.

When the residues have been processed at the biogas plant, they will be used as fertiliser in the fields. Ørsted claims that all residues passing through the plant will be recovered for fertiliser use.

“If we’re going to have a world that runs entirely on green energy, it’s important to find the right combination of green technologies that can replace fossil fuels. And this is where biogas may also play an important role in future,” Dalsgaard explained.

Ørsted and Bigadan began construction of the plant in spring 2017. Bigadan will operate the plant.

“I’m delighted that construction has now finished, and that we’re ready for commercial operation. I'm looking forward to the future cooperation, where we’ll be responsible for running the plant and for selling the bio-fertiliser to farmers on Zealand,” says Karsten Buchhave, CEO of Bigadan.