The City of Seoul has entered into an agreement with Yesco on March 5 to extend the “Jungnang Water Reclamation Center Biogas Supply and Demand Contract” for 10 more years.
Since 2014, Seoul has been operating a project to convert biogas generated from the Jungnang Water Reclamation Center into city gas, supplying it to 8,500 households nearby. Over the past 10 years, the project has generated 10.8 billion won in profits and reduced approximately 80,000 tons of greenhouse gases.
This initiative is the first eco-friendly energy conversion project in Asia, utilizing biogas refined during the sewage treatment process as city gas. Unlike the existing LNG-based city gas production, the use of renewable energy increases energy self-sufficiency and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Yesco is manufacturing and supplying bio-natural gas with a methane purity of over 97% using its own refining technology. In the past 10 years, 79 million cubic meters of biogas supplied by the Jungnang Water Reclamation Center have been converted to 56 million cubic meters of city gas and provided to local residents, reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 4,000 gasoline vehicles over 10 years.
Through this extended agreement, Seoul plans to continuously supply eco-friendly bio-natural gas over the next 10 years, contributing to achieving the national greenhouse gas reduction targets. Additionally, Yesco is exploring possibilities to expand the business to other municipalities while leveraging its accumulated technology.
Last year, Seoul produced a total of 67.565 million cubic meters of biogas from its four water reclamation centers (Jungnang, Seonam, Tancheon, and Nanji), with 66.5% used internally and 33.5% sold externally, generating a profit of 2.7 billion won. Besides converting biogas to city gas, it is also transformed into electricity and heat through cogeneration facilities, contributing to improved energy self-sufficiency.
Jeong Sung-guk, Director of Water Circulation and Safety for Seoul, stated, “Converting unused biogas into city gas, heat, and electricity plays a crucial role in addressing climate change and realizing a circular energy economy. We will continue to expand projects to secure eco-friendly energy.”