Biogas and Biomethane Technology from Biovoima

How organic waste becomes a source of energy

In March 2024, Biovoima published its decision to expand operations into the Polish market, responding to the growing demand. Biovoima already operated in Finland, Norway and the Baltic States. Tuomas spoke with Mikko Ronkainen and Jani Kangasaho about the expansion into the Polish biomethane market and the motivation behind this decision. 

What triggered you to enter the Polish market?

Poland has one of the highest biomethane potentials of all the EU Member States and is a significant economy in Europe. Due to geopolitical circumstances, there is an urgent need in Poland to invest in domestic biogas production, especially in producing biomethane for industrial applications and heavy transportation. Historically, Poland has relied heavily on natural gas imports from Russia. Biomethane, produced by removing carbon dioxide from biogas, results in a final product chemically similar to natural gas. Biogas itself can be generated from organic waste, agricultural manure, by-products, food-related bio waste, and sludge from wastewater treatment plants.

Is the number of biogas plants in Poland still low?

Yes, there are fewer than 200 biogas plants in Poland, which is less than in Finland and significantly less than in Germany, where there are over 9000 biogas plants. 

How is the expansion going on, and what are the key successes so far?

Our work in Poland has started actively and successfully, with the help of two Polish Biovoima

Professionals – Przemysław Kowalski and Agnieszka Wiktorowicz. Several negotiations are going on regarding upgrading to biogas and also on complete biogas and biomethane plants. The demand is high, although investment decisions and permissions are taking time. 

What is your master plan for the Polish market?

We plan to focus on technologies for upgrading biogas to biomethane and on utilizing solutions such as grid injection and gas pressure reduction.

How would you summarize the Polish energy market right now, what are the main trends?

The green transition has significantly increased demand for Biovoima’s products and services, as Poland actively seeks alternatives to coal in favor of more environmentally friendly and sustainable energy production methods. Additionally, stricter emissions regulations in sectors such as agriculture are driving further demand for biogas and biomethane production.

How would you compare Finnish and Polish markets in your sector?

Poland has a lot of large farms whereas Finland has much smaller farms. The biogas and

Biomethane production in Finland started much earlier than in Poland, but the Polish market is in a completely different league with a population of about 38 million, compared to Finland´s less than 6 million.