In Finland, Metsä Fibre, part of forest industry major Metsä Group has announced that it has signed an agreement with compatriot biogas project developer EcoEnergy SF Oy concerning the ownership of the biogas plant located in Metsä Group’s mill area in Äänekoski. Ownership of the biogas plant, which treats sludge from Metsä Fibre's Äänekoski bioproduct mill has been transferred to Metsä Fibre as of December 10, 2018.
Built by EcoEnergy SF, the biogas plant was started up in 2017, and produces biogas and biopellets from wood-based sludge generated by Metsä Fibre´s bioproduct mill in Äänekoski.
We built and started up the biogas plant in 2017, based on technology developed by Envor Group. Together with Metsä Fibre, we now felt it was best to transfer the operation and ownership of the biogas plant to Metsä Fibre as part of the bioproduct mill’s ecosystem, said Tero Mäki, CEO, EcoEnergy Oy.
In addition to treating the sludge from Metsä Fibre’s Äänekoski bioproduct mill, the biogas plant processes sludge from Äänekosken Energia’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and other biodegradable sludge generated in Metsä Group’s mill area.
We are systematically expanding and strengthening our industrial ecosystem in Äänekoski. It is important that we own some of the operations, while others are based on partnerships. Through this acquisition, we will be able to make even more efficient use of the biogas plant as part of the bioproduct mill process. The wastewater sludge from the bioproduct mill will be converted into added-value products in the biogas plant, said Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre.
