First Renewables a Clarus (Formally Firstgas Group) company and Ecogas recently announced the next phase of their partnership that will realise the first large-scale renewable gas to pipeline project in New Zealand.
Since then, Australian company, Eneraque has been commissioned to supply the compressor, which forms an essential part of the state-of-the-art biogas to biomethane upgrading facility, to be built at Ecogas’ Organics Processing Facility in Reporoa.
Tim Lepper, Firstgas Senior Project Manager said, “The compressor enables us to take Ecogas’ biogas from the anaerobic digesters and send it through the upgrading process, turning it into biomethane, a type of renewable gas. The pressure generated by the compressor then allows the biomethane to be transported through Firstgas’ transmission pipeline to customers on our network”.
James Irvine, Future Fuels General Manager at Firstgas Group added, “This technology is a first of its kind for New Zealand. We estimate initial production will supply enough renewable gas, equivalent to supplying up to 7,200 homes* and will avoid emissions from natural gas of about 11,000 tonnes of CO2e per year”.
The Eneraque supplied compressor is on track to arrive in New Zealand by Q4 2023, which is a step closer to securing renewable gas generation in New Zealand.
* Calculation based on 22GJ p.a. average for a residential consumer. Estimated max production is 160TJ = 7,200 houses.