JSC Chernigovgaz, which operates under the brand name of the Regional Gas Company, has issued technical conditions for connecting the first Ukrainian biomethane plant of Hals Agro LLC in the Chernihiv region, according to a press release from RGC.
“The regional gas company ordered the production of gas equipment for the plant at one of the RGC Production plants. The capacity of the first stage of construction, which will be completed by the end of this year, will be 330 cubic meters of biomethane per hour,” the document says.
According to RGC, the first phase of construction of gas networks involves the construction of a gas pipeline 800 m long, which will allow Hals Agro to transfer 330 cubic meters to gas distribution networks (GDS). m of biomethane per hour in winter. It is expected that the connection will take place before the end of 2022.
“This is the first project to connect a biomethane plant in Ukraine. We are ready to scale this experience in all regions where RGC operates. Our company has technical expertise and has access to technologies from leading gas equipment manufacturers, as well as the experience of European GDS operators who have been working with biomethane for many years “, – said Igor Gotsyk, head of decarbonization at RGC, quoted in the press release.
As explained in the company, in the future Hals Agro plans to increase the production of biomethane to 1100 cubic meters. m/h, and the specialists of RGC and Chernihivgaz will ring the coverage area of two adjacent gas distribution stations, building about 8 more km of the gas pipeline.
“Then the biomethane plant will have access to a larger number of consumers and will transfer biomethane to the network through two gas distribution stations at once. The work is planned to be completed by the beginning of the 2023/24 heating season,” the RGC informed.
The design capacity of the installed equipment for biogas purification into biomethane is about 3 million cubic meters. m per year, which is enough to provide local gas to 1,500 private households adjacent to the plant.
According to RGC, the gas control equipment and the gas metering unit required to connect to the grid are already being manufactured at one of the modern RGC Production plants. In this case, components and components from leading manufacturers Pietro Fiorentini and Emerson will be used, which have confirmed the quality of their equipment in working with biomethane in Europe and the world.
As reported, GDS operators operating under the RGC brand have simplified the connection of biomethane plants to gas distribution networks as much as possible and offer this service for 1 hryvnia. Biomethane producers must finance the construction of external and internal gas networks and equipment.
Gas distribution networks in Ukraine are the most suitable and promising for the connection of biomethane plants. They are the most branched across the country and have comparable system operation pressure with biomethane producers, which does not require the installation of additional equipment.
As of the beginning of June 2022, GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC (OGTSU) was approached by 26 companies planning to produce a total of 206 million cubic meters. m of biomethane per year.
According to experts of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, the production of biomethane in the country can reach 7.8 billion cubic meters. m per year.
