COWI and Danish Gas Technology Centre partner up on green gases

25.03.2022

In record-time, Denmark will need to build a new industry revolving around green gases as technologies such as Power-to-X (PtX), carbon capture and storage (CCS) as well as biogas take the green transition to the next phase.

To that end, COWI and Danish Gas Technology Centre (DGC) are entering into a strategic partnership, which entails that the two consultants will involve each other in PtX and CCS projects, thereby boosting each other's position in the rapidly growing field.

"COWI is part of the entire value chain in hydrogen, CO2 and eFuels – from green power to final fuel products. That calls for a wide range of competencies as well as in-depth specialist knowledge, so partnerships like this are absolutely vital if we are to offer solid consultancy services on projects with the needed scale and complexity," says Jens Bjørnmose, Senior Business Development Director of Green Transition in COWI.

And the very scale of these projects is the reason why DGC finds it immensely useful to join forces with COWI.

"We've worked together on a number of projects this past year and seen great synergies. By joining forces, we're able to submit even more attractive tenders and create even more value for our customers. Now, we'll build on good experiences by entering into a more formalised partnership, which is a great fit for our long-term strategic efforts to move the gas system in a green direction," says Thea Larsen, CEO of DGC.

Jørn Bjørnmose highlights DGC's vast practical experience with gases, especially hydrogen, which is unparalleled in Denmark.

"DGC is a hands-on specialist consultant boasting valuable experience in hydrogen, among other things. As experts in gas measurements and reliability, their competencies are crucial when it comes to translating vast ambitions about green gases into reality," he says.

The recently signed political agreement on a national PtX strategy means that Denmark needs to establish a hydrogen infrastructure for transporting hydrogen in pipelines, and, to the extent possible, the existing natural gas pipelines should be used.

So far, hydrogen has not been used as an energy driver in the Danish supply grid, but for a number of years, DGC has tested injecting hydrogen into the existing natural gas system.

"Along with Evida and Energinet, only DGC can claim to have worked with hydrogen in a supply context for almost 20 years, so they can contribute immense experience to the construction of the new infrastructure – partnering up with COWI will bring our expertise into play on more projects than we would otherwise have been able to tender for," says Thea Larsen, CEO of DGC.

In light of the war in Ukraine and the focus on making Europe and Denmark independent of Russian gas supplies, Danish biogas initiatives are expected to accelerate in the time to come.

"Methanisation projects could be quite important in that context, and it would also make good sense for DGC to tender jointly for such projects with COWI, which has the capacity to take on major projects," says Thea Larsen.

The partnership is not exclusive and does not prevent the two parties from tendering on projects separately or with other consortia. The partnership also allows other actors to be part of tenders along with COWI and DGC.

about DGC

Danish Gas Technology Centre (DGC) is a technological service company focusing on the gas market. In particular, DGC specialises in green gases such as biogas and hydrogen as well as the interplay between multiple types of energy and solutions in an energy system that is in line with the Danish climate targets.

DGC offers consultancy services, development, testing, tests, measurements and training. DGC is owned by Evida and Energinet.