Air Liquide Enters Norwegian Biogas Market
French industrial gases giant Air Liquide said August 29 it has acquired a majority equity stake in Norwegian company Skagerak Naturgass, hitherto owned by Norwegian state-owned power generator Statkraft, Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy.
No financial details were provided, but the price is not thought to be significant.
Skagerak Naturgass operates a distribution network delivering natural gas to industry, and some 60 gigawatt-hours (5.6mn m3) per year of 100% biomethane to the Norwegian transport sector through four bio-NGV (natural gas for vehicles) stations installed in the Oslo region.
Air Liquide told NGW later it acquired 51% of the company on July 31, with Statkraft subsidiary Skagerak Energi continuing to hold the remaining 49%.
Air Liquide in 2014 purchased FordonsGas, a biogas distribution company in neighbouring Sweden that owns and operates a network of 50 compressed biogas refuelling stations. Natural gas is hardly used in Sweden, accounting for 2% of total energy demand, but in areas where there is a network it accounts for a fifth of final energy demand, according to the gas and power market regulator's 2016 report on the market.
Mark Smedley