Ren-Gas Selects Technology Partners for Tampere e-Methane Plant
Nordic Ren-Gas has chosen the key technology partners for the e-methane plant it is developing in Tampere. The project’s technology chain draws heavily on European expertise, bringing together a strong group of leading European technology suppliers.
Together, these partners form an integrated industrial system in which renewable electricity, hydrogen production, carbon capture, synthetic methane production and heat recovery all come together at a single plant. The Tampere facility will use Finnish renewable electricity to produce hydrogen, capture biogenic carbon dioxide from existing energy production, and combine the two into synthetic e-methane. Heat generated during the process will be fed into Tampere’s district heating network.
Sweco is delivering the plant’s EPCm (Engineering, Procurement and Construction management) scope and acts as the project’s integrator, bringing together the individual technology partners’ systems into a single, fully functioning production plant.
The plant has been designed from the ground up for flexible operation, so that production can adapt to variable renewable electricity availability while meeting the strict requirements set for RFNBO fuels.
The plant is a showcase for cross-sector integration, linking electricity, gas, carbon dioxide and heat into a single energy system.
“Europe’s energy transition needs new industrial value chains. With the Tampere project, we are bringing together Europe’s leading technology suppliers to build synthetic methane production at industrial scale. At the same time, we want to demonstrate that European expertise can deliver a complete RFNBO fuel value chain, from hydrogen all the way to the finished product.”
— Saara Kujala, CEO, Nordic Ren-Gas
Hydrogen production as the foundation of the value chain
Ren-Gas has selected Sunfire as its technology supplier for hydrogen production. Sunfire’s electrolysis technology will convert renewable electricity into green hydrogen for use at the plant.
Hydrogen handling is completed by SIAD Macchine Impianti (SIAD Group’s Engineering Division) and Tenaris: SIAD Macchine Impianti supplies the hydrogen compressor system, and Tenaris supplies the hydrogen storage solution. Together, these systems enable safe hydrogen handling and give the plant the flexibility to ramp production up and down in step with varying electricity market conditions — a capability that is central to compliant RFNBO operation.
Hitachi Energy, a global leader in electrification, is responsible for the plant’s grid connection and electrification technologies. The solution enables the reliable and flexible power supply required for largescale Power- to- Gas production.
Biogenic carbon dioxide captured from flue gases
The carbon dioxide used at the Tampere plant will be captured from flue gases generated by existing energy production. Saipem is supplying the carbon capture unit.
Once captured, the biogenic carbon dioxide is liquefied and stored using a system supplied by Technofrigo by Clauger, enabling efficient handling and interim storage of the carbon dioxide ahead of the methanation process.
Methanation produces renewable e-methane
At the heart of the synthetic methane production process is methanation technology supplied by DWE. In this process, renewable hydrogen and captured biogenic carbon dioxide are combined to produce e-methane, which can be used within existing gas infrastructure and to displace fossil fuels in transport and industry.
Waste heat put to use in the district heating network
The plant’s energy efficiency is boosted by capturing and reusing heat generated during the process. Araner is supplying the heat pump system that raises the temperature of the process waste heat to a level suitable for the district heating network.
This heat integration improves the plant’s overall energy efficiency and allows heat generated alongside renewable gas production to be used for district heating in the Tampere area.
Flexible, automated operation built for RFNBO compliance
Producing RFNBO fuels requires precise control and monitoring of production, including the use of renewable electricity, production timing, and verification of energy origin. The plant has been designed from the outset to operate flexibly within these requirements, adjusting production to match the availability of renewable electricity rather than running at a fixed rate.
The plant’s automation solution is built on the expertise of two leading European technology companies. Valmet is supplying the plant’s top-level automation system, which optimises the operation of the overall production system, while Insta Automation is responsible for the plant’s automation systems and process control.
This automation is what makes flexible operation possible in practice: it allows production to be adjusted continuously in line with electricity market conditions, while ensuring the production data tracking and reporting required under RFNBO regulation.
A European value chain building a new clean-energy industry
The technology portfolio behind Ren-Gas’s Tampere project brings together European expertise spanning hydrogen production, carbon capture, synthetic methane manufacturing, heat recovery, electrification and digital automation.
The project demonstrates how Europe can build new industrial value chains for clean energy — value chains that strengthen energy security, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and enable emissions reductions in transport and industry.
For Further Information
Nordic Ren-Gas Oy
Saara Kujala
CEO
+358 40 184 9088
saara.kujala@ren-gas.com
www.ren-gas.com
About Nordic Ren-Gas
Nordic Ren-Gas is Europe’s leading e-methane producer, building a distributed renewable e-methane production network in Finland. The company develops RFNBO-compliant e-methane projects that convert renewable hydrogen and captured biogenic carbon dioxide into renewable gas for heavy transport, maritime, and other hard-to-abate sectors. Its sector-integrated model — combining competitive Finnish renewable electricity, proven methanation technology and district heating coupling — enables cost-competitive, very low-carbon e-methane production at scale. Ren-Gas has several fully permitted e-methane production projects in its portfolio.