LNG biogas in Lapland
Photo by: Manga LNG Oy

LNG Paves the Way for Biogas

Environmentally friendly energy available for the use of industry in Lapland in 2018.

The consortium Manga LNG Oy is building a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2018 in the Röyttä port in the town of Tornio on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. Also an industrial park, Arctio, is in the works in its vicinity to make utilizing LNG easy for companies.

– As soon as word arrived of the LNG terminal, we started to think of what we could do.

So says Mr. Jukka Kujala, managing director of Team Botnia, a business development agency that assists companies in growth and development. Team Botnia is owned 73% by the city of Tornio and 27% by the SME sector.

– Earlier, Finnish companies depended on a pipeline for gas, and that only reaches up until the city of Tampere. Now LNG is available also in the north.

Indeed, the small and medium-sized enterprises in the Tornio area have manifested a vivid interest in LNG. Transport firms are thinking of upgrading into LNG-powered vehicles. The prognosis for 2030 predicts some 50,000 such vehicles zooming along the Finnish roads, according to the national climate strategy.

The metals industry, chemicals and petrochemicals industry as well as companies in the biotechnology sphere can look to LNG as backup for biogas. The mining industry, relying on diesel, can easily upgrade to LNG.

Before usage, LNG must be transformed from liquid to gaseous form. The process produces a lot of frigidity. Thus also data centers have a reason to prefer LNG. The food industry too, for storing and freeze drying purposes.

Arctio – Tornio Energy, Industrial and Logistics Park

The company formerly known as Ruukki Metals, now part of SSAB and a member of Manga LNG Oy, is migrating from propane to LNG at its facility in the town of Raahe. Once the terminal is operational, 8 vehicles per day will transport LNG from Tornio to Raahe. Also the Tornio facility of Outokumpu, a world leader in stainless steel and also member of the consortium, is migrating from propane to LNG.

LNG will be transported to the doorsteps of willing companies. Or, if you want to make things easy for yourself, you can locate your facility in an industrial park opening right next to the LNG terminal. Zoning is underway.

Arctio offers a strong industrial cluster and quality infrastructure in the hub of raw materials and logistics. Tornio is the most active border crossing point for land traffic. Annually, some 12 million people cross the border there. Tornio-Haaparanta is an international twin city where cross-border trade is an old tradition.

Team Botnia and the business-friendly Tornio local administration will help you at every stage to make your investment succeed.

Facts – What is LNG terminal?

The LNG terminal is a new source of energy – and raw material in the chemicals industry. LNG is environmentally friendly and doesn’t get in the way of the tourism business as much as other forms of energy.

CO2 emissions are 30% less than for oil-based fuel, and 50% less than for coal. Nitrogen oxide emissions go down by 85% and those of sulfur by a whopping 95%. Particulate matter is eliminated altogether.

LNG is a fossil fuel, but the same technology is compatible with biogases, which are in the horizon. LNG bridges these technologies. The European Union and the Finnish government support financially the upgrading of technology, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment grants investment subsidies for energy projects.

LNG is not flammable. Neither does it explode, and the autoignition point of LNG is higher than that of oil. When producing liquid natural gas, natural gas is frozen at temperatures of – 162 degrees centigrade and transported in dedicated vehicles.