Solutions for security of supply and industry – the time for LNG is now

What can you do if gas pipelines run dry?

Now is the time to choose solutions that can replace Russian natural gas and improve the security of supply. 

In 2022, the discourse on national security of supply has practically changed overnight. Europe is now looking for solutions that could help sever its ties to Russian energy. Sanctions are now directing energy policy, and Russia has threatened to turn off the tap if payments are not made in roubles.

The situation has quickly evolved in Finland as well. Finland’s National Emergency Supply Agency issued a preliminary warning in May 2022 that Russian gas may not be available for long. At the end of the month, Gazprom cut off gas imports to Finland, citing contract disputes and other reasons.

No one can see into the future, but it is clear as day that natural gas will not flow from Russia like it used to. The entire energy industry is facing a transition where the strategic focus is moving away from Russian trade and fossil fuels.

The good news is that flexible solutions already exist for replacing natural gas imports. The foremost is LNG, liquefied natural gas. 

LNG has long been discussed as a fuel of the future, and now the future has arrived. The global demand for LNG is expected to double over the next few years, which probably also means investments in new energy technology.

Read on to learn how LNG contributes to energy security and how Sarlin can serve your company in LNG projects.

The unreliability of gas supply impacts industry the hardest because it consumes the lion’s share of Finland’s natural gas imports. 

In particular, the chemical and forest industries have a constant need for natural gas, and the majority of industrial hydrogen is made from natural gas. Natural gas is also needed for combined heat and power production.

Finland’s largest source of natural gas has been the Russian pipeline in Imatra, which has fed the national gas distribution network. The new Baltic pipeline is inadequate for Finland’s national demand, so we need other alternatives to the Russian pipeline.

Transitioning to an alternative fuel overnight is complicated in industrial infrastructure that has been built over decades to rely on natural gas pipelines. LNG is one solution for facilities whose processes use methane.

LNG makes for an excellent transitional fuel as we undertake the green transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. LNG can replace heavy fuels, light fuel oil and propane.

One challenge for natural gas is Finland’s insufficient domestic storage capacity. This may quickly affect production if Russian gas is cut off as predicted.

Compared to natural gas, LNG is a flexible fuel: it can be stored and transported independently of gas pipelines.

During liquefaction, the volume of natural gas is reduced 600 times. This makes LNG much easier to transport in containers by sea or land, removing the need for dedicated pipelines.

LNG also reduces dependency on Russian gas because there are many international channels for LNG. The global demand for LNG has long been on the rise even before the war in Ukraine, and it is now heavily focused in Europe.

Why choose LNG?

• Has many uses in industrial processes and heat and power production.
• Replaces heavy fuel oil, propane, etc.
• Flexible to transport by sea or land.
• Cleaner fuel: no sulphur dioxide emissions, meets the strictest carbon dioxide, particulate and nitrogen oxide emission limits.
• LNG is also a cleaner choice for heavy transport.
• Reduces carbon dioxide emissions as a replacement for fuel oil, propane, etc. Natural gas has the lowest emissions of any fossil fuel.

Next-generation LNG investments increase the security of energy supply

Above all, today’s security of supply means investing in energy technology that can reduce dependency on Russian natural gas pipelines. Industry can use LNG to upgrade the industrial ecosystem’s energy use to be more climate-neutral.

The demand for LNG has long been on the rise even before the events of 2022. The opening of Finland’s third LNG terminal in Hamina is planned for the end of 2022. The terminal and its imports will further improve the opportunities for using LNG. 

Most of all, there is demand for LNG evaporation plants. Natural gas, once liquefied and transported to a site, must be returned to its gaseous state. This is done by evaporation in a dedicated plant.

LNG investments are versatile solutions because they benefit the industrial community as a whole. In conventional applications, each company has maintained a separate oil tank, but the energy of LNG can be distributed throughout a whole industrial estate. Any excess can be fed into local networks and used to produce heat and power, for example.

In addition, both heavy goods vehicles and passenger cars can use LNG containers to fill up on a cleaner fuel.

At Sarlin, we have worked with LNG for a long time, promoting its industrial use in Finland, along with other gases. We were among the first to deploy LNG solutions for heavy transport and industrial applications.

We delivered our first LNG evaporation plant in 2018 in Lieksa and have since delivered more all over Finland.

LNG processing equipment is a sustainable investment on the journey towards a carbon-neutral Finland. The same equipment can be used with even more environmentally friendly bio- and synthetic methane.

LNG processing in Lieksa.

LNG systems for industry

We provide complete solutions for LNG plants from planning and design to construction and maintenance.  We deliver complete industrial LNG plants for storing and evaporating LNG. Our stations can be equipped with horizontal and vertical tanks as well as mobile LNG containers.

• Evaporation plants.
• Storage solutions.
• Maintenance and remote monitoring services all across Finland.
• Filling stations and LNG trailers.
• Tailored, correctly dimensioned solutions for your needs.  Contact us to find out more!
  
  Our customers include leading Finnish industrial operators: energy companies, steel manufacturers, pulp and paper mills, and chemical industry operators.

Our LNG evaporation plants: 

• Gasum Sucros 75 mw 2022
• Kainuun Voima 60 MW 2021
• Tornion Voima 10 MW 2020
• Tornion Voima 8 MW 2019
• ONE1 6 MW 2018

1. Contact us to discuss your needs.

2. We determine how much LNG you need to replace natural gas or oil.

3. You receive an offer for the required LNG equipment and capacity.

4. We deliver the solutions as a turnkey project.

5. If you want, we can also handle the maintenance of your plant.