We have taken a tangible and significant step forward in the green transition in Mäntsälä. Only renewable biomethane now flows through the local gas distribution network.
The Mäntsälän Biovoima biogas plant, majority-owned by Auris, produces more biogas than the area consumes. The surplus is transferred to the national transmission network through Auris’s compressor station.
Nothing changes in gas users’ everyday lives, but the change is significant for the green transition. Finland now has an entire gas distribution network in which all the gas used is biogas – or, more precisely, biomethane.
The plant is expanding, and production will almost double
Growth in biogas production in Mäntsälä will not stop at this milestone. The Mäntsälän Biovoima expansion project is under way, and when it is completed in autumn 2025, the plant’s gas production capacity will rise to 34 gigawatt-hours a year.
We have also opened a container-based gas injection point in Mäntsälä’s distribution network. As it expands, renewable gas from other production sites will also be brought into the network. Together with the plant expansion, this will ensure that Mäntsälä’s distribution network effectively remains a biogas network in the future.
Key facts about the expansion:
- Biomethane production will increase from 17 GWh to 34 GWh a year
- Biowaste processing capacity will rise from 20,000 to 45,000 tonnes
- The total investment is around €8 million
- The Ministry of the Environment is supporting the project with €3.6 million
- The new line will enable feedstocks such as manure and sludge to be used
The expansion will allow the plant to process a wider range of raw materials, improving both operational reliability and the security of domestic energy supply. The expansion has received funding from the Ministry of the Environment’s nutrient recycling programme.
The green transition is already a reality
Mäntsälä’s example shows that the transition to green energy infrastructure is no longer just theory. When biogas completely replaces fossil natural gas and production generates a surplus for the national network, it offers an exemplary solution for sustainable energy production.
Biogas is part of a sustainable energy future, and Mäntsälä demonstrates how this can be achieved in practice.