140-Tonne LBG Storage Tank Lands at Port of Gothenburg

A 140-tonne liquefied biogas storage tank has been installed at the Port of Gothenburg, marking the first major component to go in at Sweden's planned biogas liquefaction plant.

The tank arrived at the port by vessel and holds 500 cubic metres — enough to store up to 200 tonnes of LBG once the facility is running. Groundworks, foundations and base slabs are complete. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.

The plant's output target is 250 gigawatt-hours of LBG per year. In practical terms, that covers the annual fuel consumption of 500 trucks, or the bunkering of 50 vessels. For a port that already handles regular LBG-powered callers, that's a meaningful step up in scale.

What does this change for shipping?

LBG is a renewable, low-climate-impact fuel that can replace fossil alternatives, and demand from shipping is growing quickly. Gothenburg's answer is capacity: more stored liquefied biogas, delivered on a larger scale than the port can manage today.

The plant is the first liquefaction facility in Sweden connected directly to the west Swedish gas grid. That link creates a new market for biogas producers who are, or want to become, grid-connected — and a new supply route for the transport buyers at the other end.

Therese Jällbrink, Head of Renewable Energy at the Port of Gothenburg, said shipping's transition requires a collaborative value chain, that the facility strengthens the port's position in renewable bunker fuels, and that it allows LBG to be offered to shipping on a larger scale.

The order books back her optimism. Jällbrink also pointed to a growing number of vessels on order for LBG operation as evidence of strong potential for increased bunkering.

Demand is already at the gate

This isn't a build-it-and-they-will-come wager. Both supply and demand sides are already present at the port.

• ST1 Biokraft has signed an agreement securing part of the plant's capacity
• Several shipping companies calling regularly at Gothenburg already use LBG to power their vessels

Carolina Wistén, Head of Customer and Market, Gas Grid, at Nordion Energi, said the facility is starting to take shape and brings the goal of delivering LBG from the gas grid to shipping, heavy transport and industry closer.

Why a tank matters

It's one tank, admittedly. But liquefied gas logistics are unforgiving: without storage, production means nothing, and bunkering at scale means storage at scale. A 200-tonne LBG buffer turns a pipeline into a fuelling option.

For carriers weighing investments in LBG-ready tonnage, infrastructure like this reduces the risk that the fuel simply won't be there at the quay. For forwarders and shippers chasing Scope 3 reductions, it adds a credible low-carbon bunkering point on North European routes.

The next milestones arrive before the Q2 2027 completion date, as remaining components follow the tank onto the site — and Gothenburg firms up its pitch as Scandinavia's renewable bunker fuel hub.