Wega selects AFRY as partner for pre-engineering of the Southwest Finland Biorefinery project
Wega selects AFRY as partner for pre-engineering of the Southwest Finland Biorefinery project
The planned Southwest Finland biorefinery has entered its pre-engineering phase. The energy company Wega has chosen AFRY as its partner for this stage.
The biorefinery would become Finland's largest biogas plant once realized. The facility would produce clean energy, reduce nutrient loads in the Baltic Sea, and support sustainable agriculture and food production.
The plant is designed to process 600,000 tons of raw materials annually, including manure, field biomasses, and clean side streams from the food industry. Its annual production would amount to 360 GWh of liquefied methane. Wega’s goal is to develop the biorefinery into a solution that best meets the needs of farms, thereby supporting nutrient recycling and agriculture in the long term.
The pre-engineering phase will refine the key technical solutions of the biorefinery, such as process technologies, equipment sizing, and more precise calculations of consumption and production volumes. Adjustments will also be made to the fertilizer and gas fractions to be produced. This information will be utilized in the project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) as well as in subsequent basic engineering and permitting processes. During the pre-engineering phase, alternative technologies will also be evaluated, and discussions will be held with equipment and technology suppliers.
“The plant involves many different aspects, so the design requires an experienced team that understands the overall project. AFRY had a strong and skilled team that impressed us throughout the selection process,” says Wega’s Project Manager, Taavi Vartela.
“The Southwest Finland biorefinery project is a highly interesting project that enhances energy self-sufficiency, circular economy, and the protection of the Baltic Sea. These are goals that are also central to AFRY’s mission and operations. We are grateful to Wega for their trust in our expertise,” says Antti Hahtala, Head of AFRY’s Chemicals and Biorefining business in Finland.
The pre-engineering phase will last approximately five months and is expected to be completed by early autumn 2026. The investment decision for the plant is planned for 2027.
