Farmers from Noord Deurningen find a solution for nitrogen problems

The opening was kicked off with a word of welcome by Hans Roeleveld, the driven chairman of IJskoud, after which the provincial representative Tijs de Bree from Overijssel was given the honor to finally open the gas tap. From now on, IJskoud is delivering biogas! For years, the farmers have devoted themselves to turning their dream into reality with blood, sweat, and tears. Now it’s there: their own biogas network. The meeting was continued with inspiring speeches from directors Wim de Blok (Byk) and Gerrit Aarninkhof (Kwekerij Aarninkhof), who both purchase gas from this future-proof energy supply. Alderman Ben Blokhuis ended the afternoon with a look to the future, and the energy transition according to local politics. The day ended with an extensive party for all those involved who helped reach this great achievement.

Energy cooperative IJskoud currently consists of six dairy farms from Noord Deurningen and the surrounding areas, that produce biogas by fermenting manure from dairy cows at their farms. The produced biogas is transported to an industrial site in Denekamp via a gas network. There, the biogas network provides various companies with sustainable energy. CCS Energy Advice has calculated that the six dairy farmers supply a maximum of 1.6 million m³ of biogas per year via the biogas network of Energy Cooperative IJskoud. It is enough to replace around 1 million m³ of natural gas with a sustainable alternative, which is equivalent to the consumption of around 900 households per year. By replacing natural gas with biogas, and CO2 emissions are also reduced with 1.3 million kilos per year.

In addition to the biogas being a sustainable solution in the energy transition, it also ensures a huge reduction in nitrogen on farms in two ways. Through pipelines, fresh manure from cows is directly transported to the digester daily. A large part of the nitrogen is collected in the manure digester instead of being released into the air. In addition, the farmers use the residue from the manure digester to fertilise the sod. The use of this so-called digestate causes fewer nitrogen emissions than regular manure injection. So, green gas creates green businesses and even greener farms. Energy Cooperative IJskoud has the ambition to expand the biogas network in the coming years so that ultimately around 20 dairy farmers can produce and transport biogas. The project has been made possible in part by support from the province of Overijssel and the government.