The biogas produced will then be combusted with coal. The bio-gasification plant enables Vaskiluodon Voima to replace 25-40 percent of the coal it now uses with renewable energy, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 230,000 tons per year. Vaskiluodon Voima's total investment is approximately 40 million euros, of which Metso's delivery represents more than half. The new bio-gasification plant will be taken into operation in December 2012. Metso's delivery is a complete solution including fuel handling, the drying plant and gasifier, the modifications needed for the existing coal-fired boiler, and the entire plant automation and information management systems. "The majority of the world's energy production is still heavily relying on coal. Metso's new bio-gasification technology, including biomass drying, offers a new, cost-effective alternative for large coal-fired plants to increase the share of biomass and reduce the proportion of coal and emissions," says Juhani Isaksson, Product Manager for Metso. /KB