Gasum Biogas Tested as Maritime Fuel at SSAB's Raahe Steel Plant

SSAB's steel plant in Raahe has begun an environmental test using Gasum's liquefied biogas (LBG) as a maritime transport fuel. The trial is conducted in collaboration with shipping company ESL Shipping and energy company Gasum.

During the test, the vessel M/S Viikki was fueled with liquefied natural gas (LNG) and one tanker load of biogas, which was transported from Gasum's Pori terminal to the SSAB plant in Raahe. The objective is to assess biogas's suitability for reducing emissions in maritime transport. The methane in biogas originates from biogenic material and does not contain fossil coal.

"With this test, we aim to find out whether biogas could be used in small amounts for maritime transport to reduce emissions. The use of biogas could further reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions in this transport chain by 25% to 28%," stated Harri Leppänen, Head of Environment, Health & Safety at SSAB.

SSAB aims to be the world's first steel company to launch fossil-free steel on the market by 2026, with the company targeting full fossil-freedom by 2045. To achieve this, SSAB, alongside LKAB and Vattenfall, has initiated the HYBRIT project.

Mikki Koskinen, Managing Director of ESL Shipping, highlighted the test as a significant step towards fossil-free sea transport. Jacob Granqvist, Sales Director Maritime at Gasum, confirmed the company's ongoing efforts to increase biogas production and sourcing to meet growing customer demand for cleaner fuel solutions.