Tiense Suiker puts 'beet gas' on gas grid Fluvius
Grid company Fluvius has finished connecting a new biomethane installation at the Tiense Suikerraffinaderij. With this, the sugar company will inject sustainable biomethane from sugar beet into the public gas grid around the beet season. Fluvius provided the high-tech injection cabin and connection works. With a maximum injection capacity of 3 500m3 biomethane per hour, it will be the largest biomethane installation on the Fluvius gas grid to date.
Seasonal injection of green gas from sugar beet
The Tiense Suikerraffinaderij produces green gas as a by-product of the internal water treatment process, via the washing and transport water from the sugar beet. That gas is then converted into biomethane at the production site in Tienen. It has exactly the same composition and properties as natural gas, so can be perfectly distributed on the public natural gas grid, but is completely sustainable.
The new biomethane plant will supply green gas annually during and after the beet season from October to the end of May. During the period when gas demand is highest. The new plant starts with an injection volume of 400 m³ per hour but can expand substantially in the future.
Special injection cabin, double quality check
Fluvius installed a new injection cabin at the production site of the Tiense Suikerraffinaderij. It was specially designed for biomethane installations. The cabin checks the composition of the supplied gas before it is injected into the gas network. It also adds the specific gas odour at the same time, just as happens with fossil gas.
Daan Jackers, gas expert at Fluvius: "The upgraded gas must meet all quality criteria before it can be used on our grids. Tiense Suiker checks that gas when it comes out of the biomethane plant, but we carry out an additional check afterwards in our injection cabin. Only when that double quality check has been carried out do we inject the gas onto our grid."
Jan Ingels, Director of Tiense Suiker's plants: "Sustainability is not a buzzword for us, but a clear choice. With this biomethane plant, we capture the gas from the water treatment plant and give the residual product of our sugar beet a second life as green energy. It is not only good for the environment, but also for society. This is a beautiful and innovative project that we as a team are particularly proud of."
Biomethane is on the rise
The injection of green gas from waste into the gas grid is a renewable energy technology in full development. As with renewable electricity from wind turbines and solar panels, this technique also provides clean energy. The number of injection sites in Flanders is gradually increasing and will continue to expand in the future. Fluvius helps companies to safely inject their biomethane into the gas grid. The grid company developed a high-tech injection cabin that meets all requirements and provides the necessary connections to the gas grid.
David Callens