EU specifications: Hamburg start-up helps Etzeler Erdgassespeane against methane!

EU specifications: Hamburg start-up helps Etzeler Erdgassespeane against methane!

The new EU regulation on methane reduction concerns, among other things, natural gass storage companies such as the Friedeburger Speicherlätersbetriebsgesellschaft mbH (FSG) Crystal in Etzel. This regulation, which has been in force since August of this year, has been introduced to reduce methane emissions, since methane is a significant greenhouse gas, which is about 85 times more than carbon dioxide when you look at it over a period of 20 years. The spokesman for the FSG Crystal, Darja Köhne, said: "Methane is broken down much faster in the atmosphere than CO2, but has an 85-higher greenhouse effect."

The company, which was founded in 2008 as a joint venture by EnBW and EDF, stores up to 400 million cubic meters of natural gas, sufficient for around 280,000 households. Methan emissions result primarily from animal husbandry as well as the energy sector and waste management.

The challenge of small leaks

natural gas companies are faced with the challenge of identifying and closing small methane leaks in their pipelines and systems. These leaks are not dangerous because the security standards are high, but the cumulative emissions can be significant. According to Köhne, companies will have to document and eliminate all methane leaks in the future, which is a major challenge in practice.

To cope with this task, the Hamburg start-up Atmio of the FSG Crystal helps with an innovative solution made of hardware and software. With a portable device and a mobile app, leaks can be discovered efficiently. All data collected flow into a digital platform that enables a simple evaluation. Uwe Schormann, technical managing director at FSG Crystal, emphasizes the advantage of this solution: "Of course, this is a great relief in daily work. We would otherwise have to use several people for several days a month, and that would not be economical for a small company with only 14 employees."

practical application and collaboration

The close cooperation between Atmio and FSG Crystal ensures that the technical solutions are useful and user -friendly. Matthias Schmittmann, Managing Director of Atmio, explains: "A technical solution has to work in practice. Therefore we worked closely together and tested our products directly in the company." The use of technology during operation brings positive feedback from the employees of the FSG Crystal.

The interest in the Atmio solution is growing, which is reflected in a recent event on the FSG Crystal site. There, interested companies could experience how the system works. Schormann also sees long-term advantages in the EU Methane Ordinance: "This will increase the reputation of natural gas companies, but challenges could arise in the implementation, especially for the responsible authorities who have to expect additional workload."

For more information on the new EU rules and innovative solutions for natural gas companies, See the report on www.nwzonline.de .