SWECO to plan biomass gasification plant in Värnamo

SWECO’s subsidiary SWECO PIC has been awarded a major contract by Växjö Värnamo Biomass Gasification Centre (VVBGC) in connection with rebuilding and retrofitting of a unique biomass gasification plant in Värnamo, Sweden. The assignment is worth more than EUR 1.9 million and is scheduled to begin immediately.

The rebuild of the gasification plant is part of the CHRISGAS R&D project, where the aim is to develop and optimise an energy- and cost-efficient method to produce hydrogen-rich gases from renewable biomass. The gas will be used as feedstock for producing different types of automotive fuels that can replace fossil-based petrol and diesel.

With responsibility for planning and detail engineering, SWECO PIC will play a significant role in the rebuild project.

“Our experience in driving and implementing large-scale industrial projects makes us well qualified for this task,” says Lennart Brorsson, Team Leader at SWECO PIC.

The assignment will be managed by SWECO’s office in Gothenburg but will also rely on resources from SWECO PIC in Finland.

”This will be the starting shot for reconstruction of the biomass gasification plant, which was originally built in Värnamo in the early 1990s. The rebuilt plant is expected to go into operation at the beginning of 2009 and will then follow a pilot programme that is being conducted within the CHRISGAS project,” explains Sune Bengtsson, Managing Director of VVBGC.

CHRISGAS is funded by the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the Swedish Energy Agency (STEM) and participating industrial companies.