Hamworthy Oil & Gas Systems, a leading developer and supplier of gas handling and liquefaction technology, has secured its first contract for a biogas liquefaction plant with Norwegian company Cambi AS, a specialist in biowaste treatment.

The biogas plant will treat 50,000 tons of food waste a year and produce around 14,000 Nm3/day of biomethane.

The liquefaction plant is to be delivered early 2013 and Hamworthy Oil & Gas Systems’ responsibilities will include feed gas compression, biogas cleaning and liquefaction and liquid biogas storage and export.

“We were able to employ our knowledge and expertise in liquid gas handling gained from 30 years’ experience in the marine and oil and gas markets to secure this breakthrough contract,” said Reidar Strande, Hamworthy Oil & Gas Systems, LNG Business Unit Director.

Hamworthy’s liquefaction plant design is based on conventional components and uses a plate-fin heat exchanger for the liquefaction process. The technology is scalable upwards to a capacity of at least 60 tons a day.

The biogas plant is located in Nes, Romerike, an agricultural region northeast of Oslo, and is designed and delivered by Cambi AS to the highest specifications in the biowaste sector. The produced biomethane will be used as biofuel for buses in Oslo, putting the entire region at the forefront of environmental innovation.

Renewable gas is one of the most environmentally friendly alternative fuels. Replacing diesel with upgraded biogas to fuel 135 buses will reduce fossil CO2 emissions by 10,000 tonnes a year. 

Also, NOx and particles emissions will be significantly reduced, meaning cleaner air and less noise.

The EU has set a target to reach a 20% share of energy from renewable sources within 2020. In order to reach this ambitious and important goal, large investments have been made and they will continue to grow in this sector.