At the turn of the year, Meva Energy signed a 15-year contract to supply renewable biogas to the copper wire producer Elcowire. This makes them pioneers in the metal industry, and at the same time they are breaking new ground as a supplier of fossil-free process heat to the paper industry. These initiatives are the result of a technology that has been scaled up with the support of BioInnovation.
Nicklas Davidsson, vd Meva Energy. Photo: Meva Energy.
Meva Energy has had an eventful 2024. Their technology for producing biogas is innovative, and it contributes to a greener Swedish manufacturing industry. Last summer their first commercial plant was inaugurated next to Sofidel’s tissue paper factory, and at the turn of the year they signed their largest contract to date. The agreement with copper wire manufacturer Elcowire is worth SEK 500 million, and entails Meva Energy building a plant next to their factory in Helsingborg.
– Copper smelting requires extremely high temperatures, which has made the metal industry dependent on fossil fuels up till now. Instead, with our gasification technology, it is possible to use biogas made from the residual products of Swedish industries. This contract is proof that fossil-free production with biogas is a realistic alternative, even in energy-intensive industries, says Meva Energy’s CEO Niclas Davidsson.
BioInnovation is key in establishing a commercial plant
The 10-year supply agreement Meva Energy has with Sofidel will enable its paper mill in Kisa to reduce its annual carbon emissions by 8 500 tonnes. To produce power for the manufacturing industry, the biomass is gasified and then burned, becoming hot air. The hot air then provides the energy that the industry uses as process heat.
In a BioInnovation project, Meva Energy looked at its gasification and burner solution from a system perspective. This led to a cost-effective, comprehensive solution that allowed Meva Energy to go from initially only targeting the district heating industry, to being able to replace fossil gas in industrial processes as well.
– The BioInnovation project was a key enabler in developing the burner solution, and in establishing our first commercial plant. The customer’s main concern was that our simpler gas could make tissue products such as napkins smell unpleasant. So, an exciting part of the BioInnovation project was that we appointed a scent panel to test whether the products were smelly, and they weren’t! says Niclas Davidsson.
Competing on price and security of supply
Meva Energy’s decentralised solution, where gas is produced close to the customer, cuts out the expensive transport associated with biogas produced by conventional sludge digestion.
– We maintain competitive prices, which is an absolute necessity in order to compete with fossil fuels. The global situation makes it risky to be dependent on gas from other countries, but our local presence strengthens the security of supply, and that was very important for the contract with Elcowire. Using residual products from Swedish industry, and having production close to the customer gives us two significant competitive advantages, says Niclas Davidsson.
Two years ago, Al Gore’s climate fund Just Climate became a major investor in Meva Energy. The plant in Kisa pictured here, has been part-financed by Klimatklivet.
Read more on the project page BtoMI – Low value biomass to high quality manufacturing industry