Public procurement of buses with 100% renewables target

As part of the objective of becoming 100% fossil fuel free by 2030, the latter has set up a public procurement for the purchase of biogas fuelled buses. Authorities from the county and the city of Kalmar chose to reuse biomethane produced from cattle manure to run the buses, both addressing the issue of over-fertilisation and fostering the shift towards a carbon-neutral transport system.

Kalmar’s surrounding area consists of wide farmlands with numerous livestock. While the municipality of Kalmar and the island of Öland are very popular holiday resorts, the Baltic Sea suffers from over-fertilisation due to cattle concentration. Politicians have recognised that biogas can be one of the solutions because it not only reduces methane emissions from cattle but also delivers a renewable fuel to vehicles.

Kalmar County’s target to become fossil fuel-free in 2030 was set by the Climate Commission consisting of the County Administrative Board, the Regional Council of Kalmar County and different private and public organisations. The members of the regional biomethane network, Biogas Sydost, led by Energikontorsydost, carried out feasibility studies and mapped the potential and locations for biomethane production. On that basis, the County Council set the requirements that the procurement should result in 100% renewable public transport and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50% compared to fossil fuels.

The Regional Transport Administration oversaw the implementation. Like all the other municipalities that wanted to have BioCNG buses, the city of Kalmar had to make sure there would be a bus depot in the municipality at the time when the buses enter the traffic. Biomethane will be produced mainly by farmers and distributed in general by the energy companies which won the procurement.