Biomass gasification plant opens in Sweden

Sweden’s first direct biomass gasification plant has been inaugurated in Piteå.

State forester Sveaskog said the new SKr25m plant, which converts forest waste into gas for refining into fuel, will lead to increased demand for branches and tree tops.

“This is a great technology for us forest owners,” said Ann-Britt Edfast, Sveaskog’s R&D manager.

“The provision for forest fuel increases and thus the value of what we take out in the form of biomass from thinning and felling.”

Magnus Marklund, research director of Energy Technology Centre Piteå (ETC), said the plant was a test of how effectively biomass can be turned into fuel.

Project backers include Sveaskog, Smurfit Kappa, IVAB, ETC.