The BioEnergo One bioconversion plant provides new green options to transportation

Upon completion, BioEnergo One will be the world’s first CelluAPP® bioconversion plant on a commercial scale. Its objective is to produce renewable bio fuels, i.e. bioethanol and biogas, from saw mill by-products. Sweco was selected as the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental permit process partner for this new type of industrial plant.

According to current estimates, BioEnergo Oy’s approximately 180 million-euro bioconversion plant will be completed in the Kaanaankorpi industrial area in Pori in 2024. “Once completed, the plant will have an immense impact on the area, as no investment at this scale has been made in Pori for thirty years,” says Chair of BioEnergo’s Board Timo Saini. The turnover prognosis for the plant is 100 million euros, and the plant will directly generate approximately 50 jobs, as well as hundreds of jobs indirectly.

This is a significant green investment into renewable biofuels at a national scale. The bioconversion plant will use saw mill and forestry by-products, such as saw dust, to produce approximately 60,000 cubic metres of bioethanol and 130,000 megawatt-hours of liquefied biogas, which will be sufficient to power 15,000 cars. Once completed, the plant will reduce traffic emissions and the need for fossil fuels as well as improve Finland’s energy self-sufficiency.

“We operate at the core of the climate discussion and provide traffic with green fuels, which we need to reach our national climate goals,” Saini says. The process also generates approximately 70,000 tonnes of lignin that can be used in the production of low-emission asphalt, for example. Other production by-products, such as carbon dioxide, will also be directed towards reuse.

Licencing partner to offer comprehensive expertise

The operation of the bioconversion plant is based on the CelluAPP® technology developed in Sweden, which has been tested in a demo plant for a decade. The plant in Pori will be the world’s first bioconversion plant at a commercial scale. According to Saini, we must first ensure the smooth running of the moving parts from funding to the organisational structure. Sweco was selected as the licencing partner.

”We subjected the entire licencing process to competitive tendering and selected Sweco based on several criteria,” he says. Licencing requires knowledge of both the chemical industry and transport fuels. ”Sweco has the knowledge and expertise, as well as a comprehensive concept of what is important.”

The process started with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and continued with applying for the environmental permit in early 2021. ”When we are dealing with the EIA of a plant utilising a completely new technology, we must start the process during the early stages of planning,” says Sweco’s environmental expert Sirpa Torkkeli. The licencing process also utilised Sweco’s REACH registration expertise and experts on contaminated land areas (PIMA).

Impact on water bodies and noise remained minor

Both the environmental impact assessment and the environmental permit process stressed the assessment of the impact on water bodies, and a water emissions dispersion model was created in connection with the EIA. ”The impact on water bodies remains small,” Torkkeli says.

Other issues that were investigated included the noise effects. ”The noise effects were minor, and they were restricted to the plant area.”

The Yyteri recreational area and valuable landscapes and cultural environments are located relatively close to the future plant. That is why the impact on air quality was also determined. ”Based on the emissions model, odours may be generated in exceptional circumstances, which can be minimised and made very rare through design.”

According to Saini, the licencing process went smoothly. ”Sweco took care of things on schedule. After all, licencing processes contain many different phases, such as public notices.”

The EIA process also included interaction with several interest groups, such as authorities, the City of Pori, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and local businesses. The new industrial plant promises synergy benefits for companies in Pori. ”BioEnergo utilises the energy produced by Porin Prosessivoima in the same area as well as local existing structures, such as the water intake and discharge systems,” Torkkeli says.

BioEnergo’s EIA process was completed in December 2020. The environmental permit is expected in late 2021.