NordFuel Oy is looking for a partner for the commercial use of lignin, which is produced as a by-product of the biorefinery it is preparing. In the mapping of the partner company, NordFuel is collaborating with Brightplus Oy.

NordFuel is preparing to build a modern biorefinery in Haapavesi, Northern Finland. The biorefinery will produce bioethanol and biogas from sawdust and forest residues. The process based on enzymatic hydrolysis produces lignin as a by-product, about 230,000 tons per year.

The company is now looking for a buyer for the lignin produced in the process. In addition to the procurement contract, the partner has the opportunity to participate in lignin product development and to participate in process design insofar as it affects the properties of the lignin produced.

At the moment, process design and technology provider selection is underway in the biorefinery project. The biorefinery’s environmental permit gained legal force at the beginning of 2023, and preparatory work in the power plant area has been started by dismantling parts of the former peat power plant located in the area. The biorefinery’s production is set to start in 2026.

Please see the attached document for a more detailed proposal for cooperation.

Additional information:

Johnny Pehkonen
Business Development Director
Brightplus Oy
+358 50 597 5944

Johanna Laukkanen
Development Engineer
NordFuel Oy
+358 50 553 3760

The Regional State Administrative Agency of Northern Finland has granted environmental permits to NordFuel’s biorefinery’s energy centre and the biogas and carbon dioxide processing plants. The environmental permits were not appealed.

“The energy centre, biogas, and carbon dioxide downstream processes are integral to the planned biorefinery complex. These operations will allow us to make use of all material and by-product streams efficiently,” says Maarit Rimpiläinen, QEHS Manager at NordFuel.

The environmental permit for NordFuel’s biorefinery became effective in February when the Supreme Administrative Court issued a ruling on an appeal against the permit.

Utilizing side streams

The biorefinery’s energy centre produces the steam required by the biorefinery and the heating and cooling energy for the site. Power of steam boiler will be up to 99 MW. Biorefinery by-products, like lignin, will be used as fuel.

The water treatment process of the biorefinery will produce raw biogas, which will be refined on-site into liquefied biogas suitable for vehicles.

Carbon dioxide is produced in the bioethanol production process and biogas processing.
The biogenic carbon dioxide is dried, purified, and liquefied. The end product is liquefied carbon dioxide that is suitable for example for the food industry. In the future, the recovered carbon dioxide can be used together with hydrogen to produce synthetic transport fuels.

Additional information:

Maarit Rimpiläinen
QEHS Manager, NordFuel Oy
+358 40 5814753

NordFuel Oy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kanteleen Voima Oy, which is planning the construction of a modern biorefinery in Haapavesi, North Ostrobothnia. The biorefinery will produce bioethanol, biogas and lignin from domestic sawdust and forestry by-products which will replace imported fossil fuels.

The Supreme Administrative Court issued on Monday 27th February its decision to the complaint raised against the biorefinery’s environmental permit application. The decision enables the start of operations in accordance with the environmental permit.

“We are satisfied with the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court. A legally valid environmental permit provides the conditions to continue preparing the project for the investment decision,” says Matti Asikainen, CEO of NordFuel Oy.

According to the KHO’s decision, NordFuel must submit a report on the possible harm caused by the operation to the recreational use of the water to the regional administrative agency after three years of operation of the biorefinery.

“A lot of attention has been paid to the water treatment of the biorefinery, and of course we do everything we can to ensure that the effects on the environment are as small as possible. The authority will then assess in due time whether there is a need to compensate for the harm caused to the recreational use of the waters for the property related to the complaint,” Asikainen specifies.

The biorefinery planned by NordFuel in Haapavesi will produce 65,000 tons of ethanol and 150 GWh of biogas for transport use after completion. This production amount will double bioethanol production in Finland compared to the level of 2021.

More information:
Matti Asikainen
CEO, NordFuel Oy
+358 40 553 4926

NordFuel Oy is a 100% owned subsidiary of Kanteleen Voima Oy, which is preparing the construction of a modern biorefinery in Haapavesi, North Ostrobothnia. The biorefinery produces bioethanol and biogas and lignin from domestic sawdust and forestry byproducts, which replace imported fossil fuels.

NordFuel recruited several new experts in 2022.

Katariina Moring started as NordFuel’s controller on January 5, 2023. Moring moved to NordFuel from Fennovoima, where she worked for several years in various financial management positions. Moring has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Anniina Kärkkäinen-Oinas, who started as NordFuel’s communication manager in August, also moved to NordFuel from Fennovoima as a communication specialist. Kärkkäinen-Oinas has a master’s degree in Social Sciences. Kärkkäinen-Oinas also works as Puhuri Oy’s communications manager.

Maarit Rimpiläinen started as NordFuel’s QEHS manager in March 2022. Rimpiläinen has a master’s degree in Process Engineering and she has previously worked with environmental and quality issues at Loiste Energia and Kainuun Voima, among others.

“We have a great group of experts from different fields. By developing the organization, we are preparing for the investment phase of the biorefinery,” says NordFuel CEO Matti Asikainen.

NordFuel is preparing to build a modern biorefinery in Haapavesi, North Ostrobothnia. The biorefinery produces bioethanol, biogas, and lignin from domestic sawdust and forestry byproducts, which will replace imported fossil fuels.

NordFuel Oy is planning to build a biorefinery that would produce fuel ethanol from wood. NordFuel will also replace the Kanteleen Voima’s existing thermal power plant in Haapavesi with a new wood fuel fired industrial boiler.

The engineering of the bioethanol plant will continue based on a new wood-fired boiler

Kanteleen Voima’s board made a decision 26th of March 2021 to produce process steam used by the NordFuel biorefinery with a new steam boiler. The main fuel for the boiler will be biorefinery’s by-product lignin. In addition, the boiler uses bark, raw turpentine and sludges as fuel.

The decision to replace the old peat-fired boiler with a smaller steam boiler became topical when the 24.5 M€ subsidy granted by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in June 2020 precondition is the use of 100 % renewable fuels. All fossil fuels, including peat, are excluded.

”The decision on the choice of energy production method is a significant step for our biorefinery project. Fuel to be used is important starting point in designing the biorefinery, because we aim to utilize all raw material as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, the targets set for reducing peat use as well as foreseen political and economical instruments mean that we cannot utilize peat in our process. In short, in the future we cannot use peat anymore, and the fuel for the biorefinery will be different wood fractions and by-products of the biorefinery. Despite this NordFuel project is progressing as planned and next we can make a decision of the bioethanol technology provider”, says the CEO Matti Asikainen.

Additional information:

• Petri Vesanto, Project Director, +358 50 517 62 68
• Matti Asikainen, CEO as of April 1st, +358 40 553 49 26

NordFuel Oy’s biorefinery will produce 65,000 tons of 2G bioethanol annually. In addition, biorefinery will produce lignin pellet and biogas. NordFuel Oy will be locally a significant employer.

Matti Asikainen has been appointed the new CEO of Kanteleen Voima and NordFuel as of April 1, 2021. Asikainen will transfer to Kanteleen Voima from David Brown Santasalo Finland Oy. Asikainen has had a long career at David Brown Santasalo, e.g., country manager and aftermarket manager for the European division. He has previously worked e.g., in various management positions at Winwind Oy.

The planning work for the NordFuel project is progressing according to plan. The project reached two significant milestones last year. The Ministry of Employment and the Economy granted an investment subsidy of € 24.5 million for NordFuel´s Haapavesi biorefinery and in July the Regional State Administrative Agency granted an environmental permit. The technology supplier selection process is in its final stage, and the final selection will be made in March. After this, NordFuel will be able to start the engineering phase of the project together with the selected technology supplier and the main engineering contractor of the biorefinery.

Andreas Rasmus, the current CEO of the companies, will focus on his main job as Production Director of Katternö Group. He will also continue as a board member of NordFuel.

“We thank Andreas for his good work as CEO. During his time as CEO, the project has been systematically going forward. The intensity of the project is increasing, and now is the right time to strengthen the organization with a full-time CEO. We welcome Matti to our team!” Says Roger Holm, Chairman of the Board.

“It has been a pleasure and very interesting to be involved in developing the NordFuel project and leading Kanteleen Voima, but the next stages of the project need a full-time CEO and unfortunately my own time is no longer enough,” says Andreas Rasmus, the resigning CEO.

Kanteleen Voima and NordFuel offers an excellent vantage point for second-generation transport biofuels as well as for the energy industry in transition. I look forward to meeting our professional staff and partners and taking the NordFuel project forward with them” commented the future CEO Matti Asikainen.

Additional information:

• Roger Holm, Chairman of the Board, +358 40 585 2495
• Andreas Rasmus, CEO until 31 March, +358 44 781 5396
• Matti Asikainen, CEO as of April 1, +358 40 553 4926

Kanteleen Voima Oy Is a Finnish electricity producer established in 2006. It is owned by 24 private and municipal small and medium size energy companies.

NordFuel Oy is Kanteleen Voima Oy’s 100 % owned subsidiary, which is preparing the construction of a biorefinery producing second-generation (so-called 2G) biofuels for transport in Haapavesi. The biorefinery will produce 65,000 tons of 2G bioethanol and 200 GWh 2G biogas annually. The biorefinery will be locally a significant employer.

Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä visited together with Member of Parliament Juha Pylväs in Haapavesi power plant on Monday morning to get acquainted with the NordFuel biorefinery project. During the visit the updated status of the project and current topics were discussed.

Minister Lintilä’s view on including transport biogas in the distribution obligation would be a significant improvement on the current situation, as it would create a wider market for biogas. It would be profitable for distribution companies to expand their gas distribution network, as with biogas they could also fulfill their obligation to mix biofuels in fuels sold in Finland. Currently, the distribution obligation is 20 per cent, which means that one fifth of the share of transport fuels must be bio-based: bioethanol or biodiesel made from renewable resources.

In the beginning of summer NordFuel biorefinery got a positive investment subsidy decision from the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. Investment support is intended for large renewable energy technology demonstration projects. If realized, NordFuel will be a major producer of wood-based bioethanol and biogas, which contributes to the national target of increasing the share of transport biofuels.

More about this topic in Haapavesi newspaper (in Finnish).

Petri Vesanto, M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, has been appointed Project Director for the design phase of NordFuel’s biorefinery investment. Petri has worked over 35 years in management positions in investment, design and development projects in the energy and chemical industries e.g. in Kemira and Ekono-Pöyry companies. Since 2002 Petri has managed the engineering office he founded, Novox Oy.

Tendering and selection process of biorefinery’s technology supplier is currently ongoing. After this, NordFuel will be able to start the engineering phase of the project together with the selected technology supplier and the main engineering contractor of the biorefinery.

”Petri has very diverse experience in management positions in the planning of large investment projects. This experience perfectly meets the needs of the next phase of the NordFuel project. It is also valuable that Petri has a thorough knowledge of the project and the project organization.” says Andreas Rasmus, CEO.

Additional information:

• Andreas Rasmus, CEO, NordFuel Oy, +358 44 781 5396
• Petri Vesanto, Project Director, NordFuel Oy, +358 50 517 6268

NordFuel Oy is s Kanteleen Voima Oy’s 100 % owned subsidiary, which is preparing the construction of a biorefinery producing second-generation (so-called 2G) biofuels for transport in Haapavesi. The biorefinery will produce 65,000 tons of 2G bioethanol and 200 GWh 2G biogas annually. The biorefinery will be locally a significant employer.

Novox Oy operates in NordFuel Oy’s biorefinery project as owner’s engineer. Novox is an engineering consulting company specialized in new and renewable energy and in energy economics, whose areas of expertise also include projects related to the management and development of environmental issues in industrial and production facilities.

NordFuel Oy is preparing to build a modern biorefinery in Haapavesi that will produce biofuels for transport sector. According to RED II regulations produced biofuels enables remarkable CO₂ reduction and it will cover the annual biofuel need for approximately 450 000 passenger vehicles.

Side products such as lignin will be used for the energy production of the facility. All energy produced in Haapavesi for the biorefinery will be 100% renewable. Haapavesi is excellent location for the biorefinery as it is right next to the raw material and it has good logistic connections.

Project owners are numerous private, and municipality owned energy companies who operates all around the Finland.

”Environmental permit is great and long expected decision. Regional State Administrative Agency’s decision to grant a permit shows that it is possible to produce sustainably biofuels with state-of-the-art technologies without negative impact to the environment. NordFuel biorefinery enables more than 300 000 t reduction of CO₂ emissions annually which would support significantly Finland’s transport sector CO₂ reduction targets by 2030”, says project director Timo Strengell.

”Positive investment subsidy in June and the recent environmental permit to biorefinery gives good bases to proceed to the facility design phase of the project. The project also strengthens the bioeconomy ecosystem in North Ostrobothnia and thereby creates opportunities to new domestic innovations and businesses”, says Andreas Rasmus, CEO.

Additional information:

• Timo Strengell, Project Director, NordFuel Oy, +358 40 738 48 60
• Andreas Rasmus, CEO, NordFuel Oy, +358 44 781 53 96

NordFuel Oy is Kanteleen Voima Oy’s 100% owned subsidiary. NordFuel biorefinery will produce 65,000 tons of 2G bioethanol and 250 GWh 2G biogas annually, making the refinery the largest biogas production unit in the Nordic countries. NordFuel Oy will be locally a significant employer.

NordFuel Oy is preparing to build a biorefinery in Haapavesi that will produce biofuels for transport. In the spring of 2019, investment support for large energy technology demonstration projects was applied for from the Ministry of Employment and the Economy. Investment support is intended for projects that provide future energy solutions to meet both national and EU climate and energy targets for 2030. The aim is also to promote internationally replicable solutions based on new energy technologies.

“A positive support decision is excellent news for us. Society’s support and commitment to the new technology project will also strengthen the confidence of domestic and foreign investors in the project. The biorefinery is a major investment, in the order of EUR 300 million. The biorefinery will also be a major employer both during the project and after the plant is completed. The project also enables the construction of a new kind of bioeconomy ecosystem and thereby creates new know-how and technology export opportunities”, says project director Timo Strengell.

“We welcome the ministry’s decision. This will help to take the project forward as planned. Next, we are waiting for the environmental permit decision, after which the project has the prerequisites to proceed to the plant design phase”, says Andreas Rasmus, CEO.

Additional information:

• Timo Strengell, Project Director, NordFuel Oy, +358 40 738 48 60
• Andreas Rasmus, CEO, NordFuel Oy, +358 44 781 53 96

www.tem.fi  

NordFuel Oy‘s biorefinery will produce 65,000 tonnes of 2G bioethanol and 250 GWh 2G biogas annually, making the refinery the largest biogas production unit in the Nordic countries. NordFuel Oy will be a locally significant employer.