Norwegian company pressing on with development of e-methane facility in Finland

Norwegian energy company Freija is progressing with the development of a large-scale e-methane production facility in Nokia, Tampere region, Finland.

As informed, following site selection, the company has issued the ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ (EIA) program report and has started front-end engineering and design (FEED) studies based on a capex and opex efficient development concept with up to three phases.

Each phase is said to equal one plant with an annual capacity of up to 58,000 tons of e-methane, which will be produced from clean hydrogen and biogenic CO2 based on a “cost-competitive, proprietary and modularized solution” with an integrated electrolyzer facility.

Production is set to start in 2029, and according to Freija, the e-methane from one of the plants will enable the removal of 200,000 tons of carbon annually when replacing fossil fuels.

Kristian Hauglum, the CEO of Freija, commented: “Finland has an ambitious low-carbon target, supportive and predictable operating conditions for the green industry, fossil-free energy and a highly qualified workforce. The Tampere region is the ideal location with the capacity to scale, access to biogenic CO2, renewable power supply, strong local partners and closeness to export ports and the national gas grid.”

“European heavy transport and shipping companies are driving strong demand for eMethane as they seek to reduce emissions and comply with EU regulations. Freija has already signed MoUs for a majority of the volume from the first plant and we are progressing negotiations for additional substantial volumes which will support long-term value creation for all stakeholders.”

Reidar Strande, Co-Founder and COO of Freija, said: “We have a highly efficient plant design enabling economies of scale, flexible operations and lower costs by utilizing power price variations created by increased intermittent renewable energy production. This is backed by a dedicated team with extensive industry experience and proven project execution capabilities from building and operating gas infrastructure. Together with local partners, we are progressing towards final investment decision for the first plant in 2026.”