One phase closer to becoming a pioneering power-to-gas facility

During the Summer months, a lot has happened in the BioCat Project – from formal requesting of permissions, ensuring synergies between the two projects, to prestigious, international acknowledgement – all of which are steps towards becoming one of the first facilities to systematically inject hydrogen into the Danish natural gas grid.

During the latest phase of the BioCat Project, running from June to August, the permitting process with different governmental bodies in different areas in Denmark has started, including environmental impact assessment and permission for hydrogen injection. The BioCat Project will be one of the first facilities to systematically inject hydrogen into the Danish natural gas grid. This makes the permitting process particularly important, as the decision by the Safety Authority in Denmark (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) will set a precedent for similar projects in the future.

As for the engineering and design in the project, this part is continuing at pace. Electrochaea is working with engineering consultants to develop a reactor system that optimally exploits the catalytic capacity of its microbes. The key is to find a reactor configuration that is capable of producing pipeline-grade methane at the lowest possible CapEx/OpEx. Meanwhile, Hydrogenics is making good progress in the design of the electrolyzer. Finally, novel components to be used in the electrolysis system are being tested and refined.

Electrochaea and HMN Gashandel are closely collaborating in ensuring that the two projects – Electrochaea’s power-to-gas project and HMN’s biogas upgrading unit (ENZUP) – are well coordinated in order for the materials handover (CO2) to occur with maximum safety and efficiency. The aim of both projects is to create a technology for better balancing supply and demand in the existing energy grid.

In recognition of the Project’s innovative nature, Electrochaea has been named in the prestigious 2014 Global Cleantech 100. This ranking is produced by the Cleantech Group and recognizes the world’s leading private cleantech companies.