From CO₂ to Bio-LNG: Bright Renewables’ Growing Nordic Footprint
Norway is rapidly developing one of Europe’s most advanced biogas ecosystems, from carbon removal and storage to renewable fuels for heavy transport and maritime applications. Across this evolving landscape, Bright Renewables is becoming an increasingly active technology partner.
The Dutch biogas technology specialist is already contributing to two high-profile projects in Norway: supplying CO₂ liquefaction technology for HOOPCO2 at Veas and biogas upgrading technology for Vireo’s bio-LNG plant in Hardanger. Vireo has since signed a second bio-LNG project at Lista Biogass in Farsund, building on the Hardanger blueprint.
Together, the projects reflect Bright Renewables’ growing presence in the Nordic market and its role across different parts of the biogas value chain, from recovering and liquefying biogenic CO₂ to producing high-purity biomethane for renewable fuel.
Turning biogenic CO₂ into a carbon removal opportunity
At Veas, Norway’s largest wastewater treatment plant, HOOPCO2 is operating a pioneering carbon removal project. Biogenic CO₂ released during biogas production is captured and transported for permanent geological storage 2,600 metres beneath the North Sea through Northern Lights’ infrastructure at Øygarden.
Bright Renewables supplies a key part of that chain: a standalone CarboPac-L CO₂ liquefaction system with a capacity of 1,200 kg per hour. The system takes CO₂ recovered from the amine-based biogas upgrading process at Veas and purifies and liquefies it using natural refrigerant CO₂ (R744), preparing it for transport and storage.
The installation includes two 50 m³ storage tanks, a pre-cooling skid and an inline liquid CO₂ analyser. The facility is currently producing around 8,000 tonnes of liquid biogenic CO₂ per year, with a total system capacity of up to 10,000 tonnes.
Flexibility was an important factor in the technology selection. Bright Renewables’ system can accommodate different CO₂ feed sources while producing liquid CO₂ that meets both Northern Lights’ storage specifications and food-grade requirements. This gives HOOPCO2 flexibility as the project develops, while the inline analyser continuously monitors product quality and helps prevent contamination before the CO₂ reaches storage or transport.
The project has now moved beyond demonstration. Since operations began in March, the Veas project has been certified by Puro.earth as the world’s first verified carbon removal project from a biogas source, with its first carbon removal certificates already issued.
For Bright Renewables, the project also marks an important step in establishing its presence in Norway.
“This is a very interesting project as it first focuses on capturing and storing CO₂, with the potential to later use it in food applications,” says Niraj Kunkulol, Bright Renewables’ representative for the Scandinavian market. “Both steps contribute to reducing industrial carbon emissions and promoting sustainable CO₂ utilisation. We are excited to establish our presence in Norway and contribute to both this project’s as well as the country’s sustainability efforts.”
From local waste to renewable fuel
Around 350 kilometres west of Oslo, Bright Renewables is contributing to another part of Norway’s renewable gas infrastructure.
In the region, renewable energy developer Vireo is developing its first onsite bio-LNG plant, converting local salmon processing residues and poultry manure into fossil-free fuel for heavy transport and maritime applications.
Here, Bright Renewables supplies the biogas upgrading technology. Its PurePac Grand membrane system converts raw biogas into high-purity biomethane, which is then liquefied by Nordsol to produce bio-LNG.
Nordsol’s technology combines Flash-2-Sweep™ membranes, which prepare the biomethane for liquefaction, with a reverse Brayton cycle, cooling the biomethane to -156°C. The result is an integrated onsite production concept designed to turn locally available organic waste into a renewable fuel without requiring external heat.
For Vireo, the combination of technologies offered a way to integrate the complete production chain, from raw biogas to bio-LNG.
“By combining Bright Renewables’ robust biogas upgrading system with Nordsol’s innovative liquefaction technology, we are creating a compact, efficient and scalable bio-LNG production concept,” says Michiel van Aken, CTO of Nordsol. “This partnership brings together two complementary technologies that perfectly fit the needs of onsite bio-LNG production.”
The collaboration is already extending beyond Hardanger. Following performance on the Hardanger project, Vireo has signed a second project at Lista Biogass in Farsund.
For Bright Renewables, the projects demonstrate how its upgrading technology can support different scales and applications within the Nordic renewable gas market.
“Our biogas upgrader technology guarantees stable, high-purity biomethane essential for efficient bio-LNG production,” says Jafeth Bulsink, Head of Sales at Bright Renewables. “This integrated approach minimises operational complexity and sets a new standard for decentralised, high-yield bio-LNG solutions. We see this successful collaboration as a blueprint for rapid market expansion across Europe.”
Building a presence across the Nordics
From CO₂ liquefaction at Veas to biogas upgrading in Hardanger, Bright Renewables is increasingly becoming part of Norway’s renewable gas infrastructure.
The projects are different in technology, application and customer, but together they demonstrate the breadth of opportunities emerging across the Nordic market.
And the pipeline is growing.
Bright Renewables is actively developing further biogas upgrading, bio-LNG and CO₂ liquefaction projects across the Nordics, with several opportunities expected to progress over the coming years and a number already at advanced stages of development.
That growing activity will be a key focus at the Nordic Biogas Conference in Reykjavik on 2–3 September, where Niraj Kunkulol will be present throughout the event, available to discuss the company’s growing Nordic project portfolio and the opportunities emerging across the region.
Find Bright Renewables at the Nordics Biogas Conference at Stand S4.
The Future Is Bright.
