Titan, Attero, and Nordsol Awarded €4.3M in Funding for a Bio-LNG Production Plant

(Titan LNG) The FirstBio2Shipping project will help decarbonize maritime transport through scalable and decentralized production of bio-LNG -- The FirstBio2Shipping project, set to be completed in 2023, will achieve a decentralized production of bio-LNG designated for use in the maritime industry. The plant, located at the Attero facility in Wilp, the Netherlands, will produce around 2,400 ton/year of bio-LNG (or liquefied biomethane).

This substantial funding is a clear recognition by the EU of the vital role that bio-LNG will play in decarbonizing the maritime industry and expediting the energy transition. The collaboration of these front-runners in sustainable fuels shows their commitment to, and belief in, the strong pathway to maritime decarbonization through bio-LNG. As one of the first projects to receive funding from the Fit for 55 package, the FirstBio2Shipping project has also been recognised as practical, because it will supply existing LNG fuelling infrastructure.

Bio-LNG originates from organic waste flows, particularly domestic and agricultural waste that is available in abundance. Attero will produce 6 million Nm3 of biogas per year from domestic biowaste for the FirstBio2Shipping project. The biogas is upgraded and liquefied into bio-LNG by Nordsol’s innovative iLNG technology. This technology resolves various challenges in the production of small-scale LNG, including: producing high-quality bio-LNG (not containing contaminants); zero methane ‘slip’ (not releasing unburned methane); and no high temperature demands in gas treatment technologies, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.

In partnership, Attero and Nordsol will produce 2,400 tons/year high-purity bio-LNG and 5,000 tons/year liquid bio- CO2. Titan, the exclusive long-term off-taker, will supply the bio-LNG to the maritime industry where it will cost-effectively substitute fossil fuels. The produced bio-LNG will reduce GHG emissions by 92% compared to a conventional maritime fuel, representing more than 87500 tCO2e net absolute emissions avoided during the first ten years of operation.

Producing biogas by digestion of waste streams and converting it into bio-LNG also fits into the sustainable circular model resulting in a fuel that is not just potentially net-zero in GHG emissions, but also has the potential to be net-negative in emissions by replacing the use of fossil CO2 with liquefied bio-CO2.

Ronald van Selm, CTO, Titan said: “This project is paramount in implementing our strategy of reaching carbon zero within the coming two decades. Furthermore, it builds upon Titan’s previous successful funding application called 'Bio2Bunker' that realizes three additional bio-LNG bunker barges. Mature transport, storage, and bunkering infrastructure are not the only benefits of bio-LNG, it is also increasingly recognised as a sustainable option that can be ‘dropped in’ and blended with LNG at any ratio, with no changes required onboard the vessels.”

Jan-Willem Steyvers, business developer, Attero: “Producing bio-LNG out of biogas is a next step in biowaste digestion, leading to higher end products. Bio-LNG from biowaste supports the circular economy and helps in dealing with yet another global concern: replacing Heavy fuel oil applications. By producing bio-LNG locally, traceability and transparency are ensured. Our bio-LNG will meet ISCC certification criteria. The Firstbio2shipping project will create more opportunities for local biogas upgrading plants, produce high-quality, sustainably sourced bio-LNG, and help decarbonize the maritime industry. It’s a no brainer.”

Léon van Bossum, commercial director, Nordsol added: “Reducing GHG emissions in maritime transport is of critical importance, and with bio-LNG we can start today. With the firstbio2shipping project, we take a first step in decarbonizing the shipping sector with our highly scalable decentralized bio-LNG plants. We look forward to realizing this milestone project with our partners Titan and Attero.”

With the introduction of this first bio-LNG plant for shipping, LNG-fuelled vessels can take a significant step towards achieving decarbonization goals and meeting European Union and International Maritime Organisation regulations. Shipping’s pathway to decarbonization via LNG, bio-LNG, and in the longer-term green hydrogen-derived E-LNG is well underway and emissions will only reduce more as Titan, Attero and Nordsol scale up bio-LNG production further.

About Attero
As a partner of private and public parties, Attero offers sustainable solutions for their waste flows. Eleven's core activities are the recovery of reusable raw materials and sustainable energy from vegetable, fruit and garden waste, PMD packaging waste, residual waste and mineral flows. Innovative and profitable solutions are the starting point. Attero processes more than 4 million tons of waste annually and has approximately 800 employees at its various locations in the Netherlands.

About Titan
Titan is a leading, independent, physical (Bio)LNG supplier. We are ISO certified and an accredited LNG bunker provider on the forefront of LNG developments in the small-scale sector around the world since 10 years. Titan is incorporated under the laws of The Netherlands and our head office is in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It’s Titan’s mission to contribute to a cleaner future by supplying (bio)LNG, and in the near future E-LNG derived from hydrogen, as a fuel to industrial customers, truck fuelling stations and the marine sector.

About Nordsol
Nordsol strives to make bio-LNG mainstream with its patented technology. The unique and energy-efficient production process converts biogas into high-quality bio-LNG. This is done in an economically viable way and is thus an alternative for green gas. Nordsol strives for a production of 30 kilotons of bio-LNG per year in 2025. Nordsol develops, invests, builds, and manages the plants and works together with various biogas suppliers, bio-LNG customers, and investors.