Gasum, Orkla and Volvo Trucks partner on liquefied biogas trial

Gasum, Orkla and Volvo Trucks have joined forces to lower road transport emissions.

Orkla, a leading manufacturer and supplier of branded consumer goods, Nordic gas giant Gasum Oy and global truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks will be working with Orkla’s transport partner GDL to use liquefied biogas (LBG) to fuel journeys between Orkla’s warehouse in Helsingborg and its ketchup sauce production facility in Fågelmara, Blekinge, Sweden.

Orkla has chosen Volvo Trucks and Gasum as its partners for a two-month trial period during which Orkla’s transport partner GDL will use LBG to fuel truck transportation between the facilities.

Orkla is aiming for all of its domestic transport in Sweden to be fossil-free by 2025. To reach this goal, higher requirements will be set for transport procurement, with gas being one of the options on the table. Factors in favour of gas include Gasum’s investment in the Nordic gas filling station network for liquefied gas to increase the number of filling stations to 50 by the early 2020s, one of which will be located in Helsingborg.

Emelie Zakrisson, category manager of Energy at Orkla, said: “The test period is both a way for us to increase our knowledge of gas as a vehicle fuel both internally and at our transporters and together create change to reduce emissions in the transport sector.

“We want to influence our carriers to make more sustainable choices and we see that we must do this together. For this to work, it is necessary that the hauliers change car and we, as transport buyers, choose alternative fuels, and that there are gas stations available.”

The two-month LBG trial started at the beginning of June and will be assessed by Orkla in terms of the environmental and economic effects relating to transport procurement over the longer term. Gasum has previously collaborated with Orkla in Norway, providing Orkla with gas for stream production at its food factories.

“For GDL, this test period is an exciting continuation of the transition to fossil-free alternatives,” said Anders Wendelius, business area manager at GDL. “We are expanding our fleet of gas cars and gain even more miles of experience in the pros and cons of the various technology choices available today. We also value the constructive and knowledgeable collaborative partners that we work with on the project.”

Stefan Strand, managing director of Volvo Trucks Sweden, added: “Our Volvo FH LNG trucks provide the opportunity here and now to reduce environmental impact. With liquid biogas in the tank, the transport becomes fossil-free, while the performance is unchanged for our heavy vehicles, plus the fuel economy looks really positive.”