From 0 to 6,000: The partnership powering the Nordic biomethane revolution

Driving biomethane adoption in the Nordics.

Three decades ago, two Nordic innovators were independently laying the groundwork for what would become a transformative clean energy partnership.

In Sweden, Processkontroll Green Technology (“Processkontroll”) was pioneering compression, decompression, and storage systems for biomethane [1]. Driven by a national challenge few other countries faced…how to deliver renewable gas without a widespread pipeline network? With less than 10% of Sweden covered by gas infrastructure, the country’s early biogas pioneers had to invent new ways to move fuel from production to use.

Meanwhile, across the border in Norway, Hexagon Composites was breaking new ground in composite materials and gas containment, developing the advanced cylinder technology that would soon become the global benchmark.

6000

composite gas cylinders in the Nordics

300+

Nordic green gas installations

200+

Nordic public biomethane filling stations

50+

Nordic biomethane bus depots

100,000+

global alternative fuel vehicles (largely biomethane) on the road

17-years of impact

In 2009, the two companies joined forces after recognizing that their technologies were inherently complementary and had the potential to revolutionize gas transport.

Today, the Processkontroll-Hexagon partnership can claim a profound impact on sustainable mobility and industry in Scandinavia. Over 300 mobile gas units built by Processkontroll are in operation, many filled with Hexagon’s composite cylinders. Together, these modules create virtual pipelines that deliver biomethane (and in a few cases, hydrogen) to sites spanning from city bus depots to remote factories.

Did you know?

Biomethane – also known as renewable natural gas (RNG) or biogass - comes from organic waste such as food scraps, agricultural manure and landfills.

Biomethane

is one of the few energy sources capable of going beyond net-zero. Using biomethane can actually result in a net reduction of greenhouse gases, making it a critical tool for reversing the climate impact of transportation and industry.

The technology and solution

From the outset, Processkontroll and Hexagon shared a vision of driving the energy transition and a desire to build on their complementary expertise.

Processkontroll engineered the end-to-end system – the module frame, compression and decompression units, safety controls, and service programs – while Hexagon supplied the lightweight composite cylinders at the heart of the solution.

Compared to traditional steel tanks, Hexagon’s Type 4 composite cylinders are 80% lighter and hold twice the volume of gas for the same footprint.

This immediately doubled the fuel capacity each mobile unit could carry, slashing the number of trips needed and enabling delivery to more distant or rural customers without sacrificing cost.

“Hexagon’s cylinders allowed us to build mobile units with unprecedented capacity. Suddenly a single 20-foot module could carry around 19,000 liters of biomethane, where steel would barely manage 9,000. It was a game-changer for our customers in terms of efficiency and economics.”

Torbjörn Karlsson

,  

Technical Manager, Processkontroll

Over the years, the two companies have constantly innovated.

Hexagon improved the cylinder design often to help Processkontroll further optimize their modules. While the benefits of Type 4 composite cylinders over steel cylinders are well understood, not all composite materials are created equal. Hexagon’s world-leading composite cylinders made of carbon fiber are also 50% lighter than alternative Type 4 composite cylinders made of glass fiber, improving the volume of biomethane that customers can transport even further.

Processkontroll, on its side, has continuously expanded its services to offer a full ecosystem to clients – from installing compression equipment at the biomethane source, to the mobile modules for transport, and complete servicing of the modules for customers.

This turnkey approach means a hospital, factory or fuel station can switch to biomethane with one partner handling everything. It has cemented Processkontroll’s reputation as the Nordic region’s leader in green gas infrastructure, and Hexagon’s equipment as a core enabler in that success.

Notable partnership milestones:

Providing clean fuel for transit

For more than a decade, biomethane buses in Stockholm, Oslo, and cities across the Nordics have relied on biomethane fuel from more than 50 bus depots, supplied by Processkontroll’s mobile storage modules. This innovative fueling system has allowed public transit in Scandinavia to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% using biomethane powered buses [2].


Enabling clean transit

Hexagon Agility plays a pivotal role in this journey, supplying 100% of the composite cylinders in Processkontroll’s mobile gas containers, and also supplying over 90% of the fuel systems and composite cylinders in Scandinavian biomethane buses. In other words, the Scandinavian biomethane bus fueling cycle starts and ends in a Hexagon Agility cylinder, underscoring the company’s leadership in enabling clean mobility across the region.

Empowering off-grid industry

Many industrial operations in Sweden have now transitioned from heavy fuel oil, diesel or propane to biomethane delivered via Processkontroll’s modules. Food producers, for example, now use biomethane for steam generation – “even Swedish meatballs are now produced with biomethane,” notes Karlsson.

Multiple vehicle manufacturers’ factories have also adopted mobile biomethane supply to decarbonize industrial processes that require more energy than electricity can provide.

Delivering Europe’s largest biomethane filling station

In May 2025, Processkontroll built Europe’s largest vehicle filling station for compressed and liquid biomethane in Kallhäll, Sweden. The scale of this project, delivered for Gasum, showcases how far the technology has come.

Each of these cases was made possible by the high capacity and safety of these biomethane containers, proving that even without pipeline access, the shift to clean fuels is achievable today at scale.

The most telling endorsement comes from those directly using the technology.

Redo Biosolutions, a Norwegian energy company owned by Air Liquide and Skagerak Energi AS, has utilised Processkontroll’s mobile modules in its operations for more than a decade.

“We rely on Processkontroll’s mobile gas containers every day to transport biomethane. These systems support our vehicle fueling stations, biomethane production sites, and grid injection points in both Norway and Sweden.”

Svein-Morten Hansen, Technical and Project Manager at Redo Biosolutions.

That reliability has been crucial as Redo Biosolutions undertakes pioneering projects like injecting biomethane into the gas grid using clusters of mobile containers as a flexible feed, which is a frontier they expect to advance in coming years.

“Since purchasing our first unit in 2016, our fleet has grown to around 20 containers. In our business, there’s no room for compromise when it comes to the safe and efficient transport of gas, and this technology delivers on both.

We’ve trialed competitor products in the past but encountered issues, including cylinder leakage. Our technicians have been very clear that Processkontroll’s systems are the most advanced and reliable. Their technical expertise and product quality are unmatched, and we’re proud to partner with them in enabling the reliable delivery of renewable energy.”

The confidence of end-users like Redo Biosolutions underscores the trust the Processkontroll-Hexagon team has built over almost two decades.

Processkontroll and Hexagon Agility have illustrated how partnership and innovation can overcome infrastructure barriers. Together, a Swedish SME and a Norwegian clean-tech firm created solutions that leapfrogged the need for pipelines, enabling immediate emissions reductions for transportation, industry and national gas grids.


Their approach also future-proofs customers: as hydrogen fuel develops, the same partnership stands ready – Processkontroll has already integrated hydrogen capabilities and Hexagon’s cylinder technology for hydrogen (via subsidiary Hexagon Purus) is among the most advanced.

Ultimately, this long‑term collaboration demonstrates a triple win scenario: Processkontroll’s evolution into a Nordic clean‑energy powerhouse, Hexagon Agility’s strengthened market footprint, and - crucially - a regional decarbonisation model that doesn’t depend on multibillion‑euro or krone pipeline networks. By enabling green gas to move freely and flexibly across the Nordics, this partnership has shown that smart transport solutions can achieve in years what conventional infrastructure would take decades to deliver.

On February 17, 2026, Hexagon Agility delivered its 6,000th cylinder to Processkontroll Green Technology. The 6,000th cylinder milestone came amid accelerating demand for biomethane in Northern Europe. Together, the partnership’s mobile gas storage solutions in the Nordic region are contributing to the reduction of more than 200,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually – equivalent to approximately 0.5% of Sweden’s total emissions each year.

As Europe’s demand for biomethane accelerates under EU Green Deal initiatives, the two partners are poised to scale up and continue delivering clean energy wherever it’s needed. In the words of Hexagon’s team: “We're proud to have shown that technology is no longer the barrier – the solutions are here, they're proven and they are only going to get better. Together with partners like Processkontroll, we’re proud to be making better energy easily available for all.”

[1] Biomethane refers to upgraded biogas, also known as biogas in Sweden, biogass in Norway, biokaasu in Finland, or renewable natural gas (RNG) in North America.

[2] Spoof-Tuomi, K., Arvidsson, H., Nilsson, O., & Niemi, S. (2022). Real-Driving Emissions of an Aging Biogas-Fueled City Bus. Clean Technologies, 4(4), 954-971. https://doi.org/10.3390/cleant...