Wärtsilä announces partnership to build first German biomethane liquefaction plant

On April 27, the Finnish company, Wärtsilä, announced a partnership with German energy company, REEFUELERY GmbH, to build a plant in Burghaun, near Fulda, Germany, that will produce carbon-neutral transportation fuel. In a statement, Walter Reggente, vice president, Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, said that “Decarbonisation solutions are at the front and centre of Wärtsilä’s strategies, and we are delighted to support REEFUELERY in the realisation of their first German bio-methane liquefaction plant”.

The site will be the world’s second-largest location capable of liquefying bio-methane and synthetic methane from renewable energy sources. Communal and agricultural waste materials will be used as bio-methane feedstocks which will be liquefied into climate-neutral Bio-LNG. The facility is expected to be operational in early 2024 and will have a capacity of approximately 63,000 tons of Bio-LNG per annum.

REEFUELERY GmbH, a joint venture of Erdgas Südwest GmbH and avanca, placed the contract for the new plant in March 2022. Wärtsilä, a technology leader in the marine and energy markets, will supply equipment for the build. The company has extensive experience in process design, engineering, fabrication and delivery of gas liquefaction plants. The two companies have partnered previously on strategic projects.

Once it is produced, Bio-LNG, branded as REEFUEL, will be delivered to the Alternoil filling station network. “REEFUEL can be used in any LNG-fuelled truck and contributes significantly to the decarbonisation of heavy-duty transport. The construction of the liquefaction plant will reduce carbon dioxide emissions along the entire supply chain, said Jürgen Muhle, CEO of the avanca group.