Danish bio-producer Horsens Bioenergi and DONG Energy inaugurate new biogas plant

2014-09-10T08:00:00.0000000Z

Animal manure and organic waste from Danish Crown's slaughterhouse will supply 4,000 households with the most eco-friendly gas in the market.

About the biogas plant

Horsens Bioenergi owns the biogas plant while DONG Energy owns the upgrading plant which is critical for preparing the produced biogas for sale and distribution to the customers. The parties have signed a 15-year agreement on purchase of biogas.

The plant will process approximately seven million cubic metres of bio methane annually, corresponding to the consumption of more than 4,000 natural gas-fired homes. Horsens Bioenergi purchases biomass from Danish Crown's large slaughterhouse in Horsens, Denmark. In this way, local resources will be used instead of transporting the waste for treatment much further away; all in all, the new approach translates into improved CO2 accounts.

In Denmark, so far, most of the biogas has been used for heating and power generation. But a significant part of the biogas is burned to no avail, especially during the summer where the heat consumption is low. Without the possibility of distribution to the natural gas grid, the full biogas potential in Denmark cannot be realised. In 2011, DONG Energy commissioned the first plant in Denmark which distributes biogas to the natural gas grid.

CEO of Horsens Bioenergi
Klaus D. Johansen
+45 40 30 15 38
kdj@horsensbioenergi.dk

Peter Sørensen, Mayor of Horsens, cut the ribbon for a new biogas plant on Wednesday, 10 September. Prior to the inauguration lie several years of intense work and dialogue with local and national authorities, landowners, suppliers as well as representatives from the local community. So this is truly a special day:

Klaus D. Johansen, CEO of Horsens Bioenergi, said:

"It's been four years since we initiated the work on this environmentally sound biogas plant. Now, the plant is a reality and the location is perfect. We've got a lot of farming and plenty of food industry in the neighbourhood, and we're close to the Danish natural gas grid. In this way, we can meet a political desire for upgrading of gas to the natural gas grid, and the plant is also the first in Denmark to be built as an outcome of the energy policy agreement in 2012. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been involved in realising the vision of a new biogas plant near Horsens."

For DONG Energy, the inauguration represents yet another step in a strategic commitment to bio natural gas:

Lars S. Bentzen, Market Director at DONG Energy, said:

"DONG Energy is working to supply biogas to the natural gas grid. We call the upgraded biogas for bio natural gas, because there isn't a more environmentally friendly gas. Last week, we signed a 15-year agreement with Linkogas in the south of Denmark and today, we can be pleased that a good cooperation with Biogas Horsens is paying off. We have an increasing number of customers and climate partners demanding green gas, so the inauguration today documents that we're in the middle of a conversion of the natural gas grid to a system for storage and transport of renewable energy."

Johansen continued:

"Apart from the large positive environmental impact generated by the system, farmers in the area will in future be able to fertilise with an almost odourless manure which, at the same time, has a very high fertilising value. This is a win-win situation in every way not only for the environment, but also for the business sector."

Danish bio-producer Horsens Bioenergi and DONG Energy inaugurate new biogas plant

About the biogas plant

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