Bio gas from manure – Filling station opened in Haapavesi

Nowadays, the Valio milk float visiting the Vuorenmaa farm also fills up on biogas at the filling station in the farmyard. Sweco served as a cooperation partner for agricultural expert Demeca, the supplier of the filling station to the farm in the project.

If you happen to drive by Haapavesi in a gas-operated car, you can stop to refill at Vuorenmaa farm, which produces biogas from the manure of its own cattle. The farm has had a biogas plant since 2005, but a public biogas filling station was introduced to the farmyard in early 2021. The Valio milk float also stops there.

The filling station was supplied by agricultural expert company Demeca, a cooperation partner of Sweco’s. Demeca’s Project Manager Lauri Penninkangas believes that, in the future, more and more farms will seize this circular economy opportunity.

“Refining biogas on farms will become more prevalent and quicker. This idea is based on decentralised energy production, meaning that energy is produced at the source,” Penninkangas says.

Sweco helped with design and risk assessment

Sweco worked together with Demeca in designing the filling station. The two had worked together previously, which made the project a natural fit. At first, Sweco offered Demeca reports, and later on various design documents and safety reviews.

“Cooperation with Sweco has run smoothly. We benefited most from risk assessments and safety planning conducted by Sweco. Once we were able to specify the precise needs with Sweco, the planning process got off to a flying start,” Penninkangas says.

According to Sweco’s Circular Economy Department Manager Leena Pirhonen, Sweco was very enthusiastic to participate in a new type of circular economy project on the farm level.

“It is wonderful to discover this kind of innovative spirit and willingness to push things forward in Finland. We are naturally eager to be involved in circular economy projects, and this was our chance to provide Demeca with the necessary tools,” Pirhonen says.

A bigger gas plant created new opportunities

According to Janne Vuorenmaa, the owner of the Vuorenmaa farm, installing the filling station went smoothly. All in all, the project lasted for less than a year. Everything is ready now and the station is open.

The idea of the filling station was born roughly one year ago, when Vuorenmaa invested in a larger gas plant in order to be able to produce all of the electricity and heat required by the farm self-sufficiently. The larger gas plant enabled the planning of the filling station.

“That was when I said that if I do not set up the filling station now, I never will. Someone has to be the trailblazer and try out new solutions,” Vuorenmaa says.

The investment was facilitated by an agreement that the Valio milk float would refill at the farm. This agreement guaranteed that the gas would be in demand. A milk float running on biogas made from cattle manure aligns perfectly with Valio’s goal of making milk carbon-neutral by 2035.

Picture: Valio