A 10,000-ton e-methane plant is planned for Åland – Technology that started with bog microbes is accelerating the green transition

A new e-methane production plant with an annual capacity of approximately 10,000 tonnes is being planned for Åland. The project will combine hydrogen, carbon dioxide utilization and synthetic fuel production into a single energy system.

RedRock Energy ja Q-Power have signed a letter of intent regarding technology related to e-methane production in the EnergyPark Hellesby project in Åland.

The planned biological methanation plant would have a capacity of approximately 17 megawatts and an annual production of approximately 10,000 tons of e-methane.

Carbon emissions for utility

The project combines renewable electricity, hydrogen production, carbon dioxide capture and synthetic fuel production into one integrated energy system.

Captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen produced with renewable electricity serve as raw materials in the process. The carbon dioxide is recycled back for energy use in the form of synthetic methane.

In Q-Power's microbiological methanation process, natural microorganisms convert the fed hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane.

The goal is to enable the industrial production of renewable eMethane and accelerate the transition to cleaner fuels, especially in transport, maritime transport and industry.

“EnergyPark Hellesby can demonstrate how multiple technologies work together to enable scalable production of green fuels,” says RedRock Energy CEO Anders Wiklund.

Q-Power develops biological methanation

In addition to the methanation unit, the plant complex includes liquefaction, storage and distribution infrastructure.

Q-Power will act as the main technology partner in the development phase of the project. The company sees carbon dioxide emissions and other waste and side streams as valuable raw materials.

“Biological methanation is an efficient and scalable way to convert renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide into synthetic methane,” says Q-Power’s Chairman of the Board Ilkka Herlin.

Background in swamp microbes

Q-Power was bornwhen the professor Erkki Aura retrieved microbes from the gut in 2007. He began researching their use in the controlled production of biomethane.

In addition to Aura, Q Power's chief developers and management team members participated in the research and development of the method. Anni Alitalo ja Marko Niskanen.

Ilkka Herlin and Sarah Kankaanrinta acquired the developed technology in 2016. The production plant and laboratory are located at the Qvidja research facility in Pargas.

EnergyPark Hellesby is intended to serve as a model for similar integrated energy concepts in Finland and internationally.

Text: Uusiuutisten editorial team

Photo: Q-Power/ Redrock. Partners in the photo from left to right: Ann-Sofi Lenander (Redrock Energy Ab), Anders Wiklund (Redrock Energy Ab), Lotta Nummelin (Redrock Energy Ab), Kenneth Rosenberg-Brunila (Redrock Energy Ab) and Marko Niskanen (Q Power Oy).