The Finns are keen on biogas

Moderate costs and low emissions encourage Scandinavian companies to use biogas for transport. This also applies to delicatessen products and the post.

The Finnish Post has been using Finland’s largest biogas fleet for some time now in order to massively reduce its emissions in the transport sector. Source: Gadum/Posti Freight Services

Companies are constantly thinking up new ways to make their operations greener. In Scandinavia especially, where the proportion of biogas is already very high, its use is a good option. For example, the Finnish Postal Service (Posti) switched to a biogas fleet just over three years ago. The ten lorries running on LNG propulsion and liquefied biogas (bio-LNG/LBG) allow Posti Freight Services to significantly reduce transport emissions.

Posti also operates six lorries running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) from earlier times. With its 16 gas-powered lorries, Posti has the largest fleet of its kind in Finland. Gasum’s gas filling stations, combined with Posti’s terminals, allow friction-free transport even on long-haul routes. Posti’s goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. “The decision to use biogas as a fuel for long-distance transport has made Posti a pioneer in logistics,” explains Juha-Matti Koskinen, Sales Manager Traffic at Gasum.

Wearing gloves and a hard hat, a driver refuels the biogas, which has been cooled down to minus 160 and thus liquefied. Source: Gasum

“The use of biogas in transport is an effective means of combating climate change and can massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Koskinen continues. In total, the biogas-powered trucks reduce CO₂ emissions from Posti transports by 1,620 tonnes per year. This is equivalent to the amount generated by a conventionally powered car travelling nearly 8.6 million kilometres, or 215 times around Earth!

In recent years, the popularity of gas as a fuel in logistics and heavy-duty transport has increased significantly – because it is a reliable technology that already exists. Gasum is responding to this growing demand by continuously expanding its network of filling stations in the Nordic countries. Orkla, best known in Scandinavia for delicatessen products, crisps and chocolate, also uses biogas from Gasum for transport.

Mauri Suuronen, planning and logistics manager at Orkla, has made a conscious decision to use bio-LNG/LBG to reduce his company’s carbon footprint. Source: Gasum

Since 2014, the Orkla Group has reduced its own CO₂ emissions by 65%. 47% of the energy used comes from renewable energy sources. It comes as no surprise that the logistics team relies on biogas and bio-LNG. “The decision was easy for us, as our logistics partner was also enthusiastic about it,” says Mauri Suuronen, Planning and Logistics Manager at Orkla. For example, Storemen Logistics, one of Orkla’s logistics partners, started using a CNG (compressed natural gas) lorry more than two years ago and now has eight of them. “Environmental awareness has increased over the years. We concluded that we, too, need to do something to reduce our own environmental footprint,” explains Jari Jokinen, Managing Director of Storemen Logistics.

One of the trucks with LNG propulsion and liquefied biogas in the tank, which is almost CO₂-neutral on the roads of Scandinavia for Storemen Logistics. Source: Storemen Logistics

His company, which was founded in 2005, has been climate-neutral since early 2022. Not only does it have Finland’s thirteenth-largest solar power plant, all its unavoidable emissions are offset by planting trees. “Many companies talk about environmental friendliness, but it also requires action. We want to set a good example by making ecological choices and leaving a cleaner world for future generations,” says Jokinen, who adds that the biogas vehicles have performed well in terms of driving, refuelling and servicing. “There is no difference in performance compared to diesel vehicles. And we use locally produced biogas. This means a reduction in emissions of up to 90% compared to fossil fuels.”

Logistics specialist Ari Peltola Oy now also relies on a biogas truck: Source: Gasum

These examples set a precedent. That is why logistics specialist Ari Peltola Oy did not take long to decide to transport goods for Orkla using a bio-LNG-powered lorry. “The consignments of Orkla chocolate and crisps are well suited to gas-powered vehicles,” says Ari Peltola. “The three Gasum filling stations between Jyväskylä and Helsinki ensure frictionless transport. The LNG lorries can easily handle up to 1,200 kilometres on one tank of fuel.” (jas, 6 April 2023)

The energy company Gasum not only operates a steadily growing CNG and LNG filling station network, but also produces biogas itself – as here in Turku. Source: Gasum