P2X fleet-wide multi-market optimization through simulation

May 19, 2025

A full-scale central control room simulator – a complete digital twin of a Valmet DNA Automation System and future production processes – will enable Nordic Ren-Gas to test and optimize its P2X operations, convince stakeholders, train operators and schedule plant maintenance before the fleet even exists. The production planning and management system is capable of autonomous production plan execution and strategic electricity trading.

Nordic Ren-Gas, Europe’s leading P2X developer, is planning to build a green hydrogen and e-methane production network comprising several plants in Finland by 2030. The company will support decarbonization in the transport and energy sectors by replacing over 250 million liters of fossil fuel annually and reducing over one million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Although each plant will operate autonomously, fleet optimization and energy market participation will take place in a central control room. It will act as the brain of our business operations."

“Although each plant will operate autonomously, fleet optimization and energy market participation will take place in a central control room. It will act as the brain of our business operations,” says Aleksi Sipilä, Automation Manager at Ren-Gas.

In the photo, from left: Antti Alahäivälä and Aleksi Sipilä from Ren-Gas, Arttu Halminen from Valmet.

The company will run its production processes on renewable energy, utilize CO₂ emissions through carbon capture from energy plants and transfer excess heat from its electrolyzers as well as its carbon capture and methanization processes, among others, to local district heat networks.

The construction of Ren-Gas’s first production facility is set to begin in Tampere in 2025, with commercial operations starting in 2027. The planned location of the plant is next to the Tammervoima power plant, enabling efficient CO₂ delivery and district heat network integration.

Illustration of Ren-Gas’s first production facility, with construction scheduled to begin in Tampere in 2025.

Wanted: multi-market optimization with top technology

To ensure the success of its project and future production, Ren-Gas charted possible central control room suppliers at a very early stage. The requirements included an understanding of energy markets as well as online control technology. Fully automatic production planning and fleet-level multi-market optimization were on top of the wish list.

“Based on pre-engineering studies carried out with several suppliers, Valmet met our needs best with its solutions and capabilities,” Sipilä continues. “As we both understood that more detailed specifications and deeper discussions were needed, we decided to work on a control room simulator together.”

The focus of the joint efforts has been to enable flexible production control and centralized energy management across the entire future Ren-Gas fleet.

Ren-Gas and Valmet decided to work on a control room simulator together. In the picture, from left: Jyri Kaivosoja, Pasi Voutilainen and Hédi Azzouz from Valmet, Matti Rautkivi, Antti Alahäivälä, Juho Piispa and Aleksi Sipilä from Ren-Gas, and Anton Meuronen from Valmet.

Simulating realistic process behavior in advance

The central control room simulator at Ren-Gas will be a complete digital twin of a Valmet DNA Automation System and the future production processes. It will enable the company to train and prepare its team for full-scale operations and evaluate different data-driven production strategies in a safe environment. Realistic process behavior ensures operational readiness ahead of deployment.

We want to know what we can do and how we can operate the process. The simulator is not just about technical testing. It provides a hands-on environment where our team can simulate our full portfolio of operations, assess different control strategies and refine how we work. Therefore, it is very important for our risk management. Based on the simulator, we will also be able to define our requirements later for the actual central control room system needed in the production phase.”

Antti Alahäivälä and Juho Piispa from Ren-Gas testing the Valmet DNA central control room system.

“We want to know what we can do and how we can operate the process,” Sipilä points out. “The simulator is not just about technical testing. It provides a hands-on environment where our team can simulate our full portfolio of operations, assess different control strategies and refine how we work. Therefore, it is very important for our risk management. Based on the simulator, we will also be able to define our requirements later for the actual central control room system needed in the production phase.”

By modeling system-wide behavior, the control room simulator supports the operation of all plants in the fleet. This allows Ren-Gas to simulate, coordinate and optimize performance across the locations, responding to supply and demand variability and improving overall efficiency.

“We want to ensure that our operating model is ready to meet real-world conditions from the beginning,” adds Sipilä. “The ability to test, refine and align our operational workflows in advance is a key success factor for us.”

We want to ensure that our operating model is ready to meet real-world conditions from the beginning. The ability to test, refine and align our operational workflows in advance is a key success factor for us.”

Integration with multiple third-party systems

The simulator is integrated with multiple third-party systems, such as an energy market partner who acts as an interface with the electricity market and provides price forecasts. The system is also connected to the ERP and asset management systems.

By collecting data from the energy-intensive electrolyzer and combining it with electricity price forecasts, for example, Valmet’s advanced system will calculate when the most economically sound time is to schedule maintenance activities.

Valmet’s system uses electrolyzer data and price forecasts to optimize the timing of maintenance.

Energy management in a key role

Ren-Gas has developed its modeling and optimization of the hydrogen value chain for many years in its NRG-SIMO platform. This work has given the company a clear view of how its power-to-gas (P2G) plants will operate in the market environment. The project with Valmet is a natural next step in taking these insights into real-world operations.

Valmet’s energy management consultancy was essential in shaping the simulator to meet Ren-Gas’s strategic and technical needs. It focused on integrating energy management features into the broader automation architecture, including forecasting, load balancing and renewable integration.

Our energy management system (EMS) consultancy has been designed to help customers turn technology into an operational asset. For Ren-Gas, it has provided a strategic framework to ensure they will be able to manage their energy flows efficiently and cost effectively.”

“Our energy management system (EMS) consultancy has been designed to help customers turn technology into an operational asset,” says Jyri Kaivosoja, Senior Product Manager, Automation Systems, Valmet. “For Ren-Gas, it has provided a strategic framework to ensure they will be able to manage their energy flows efficiently and cost effectively.”

Valmet’s Energy Management System (EMS) plays a key role at Ren-Gas. Without it, the autonomous control of the fleet would not be possible as it carries out adaptive production planning.

Valmet’s EMS enables adaptive production planning and autonomous fleet control at Ren-Gas. Juho Piispa and Arttu Halminen are testing the system.

We have to be able to follow wind and solar energy production closely and flexibly adjust our own production. Based on wind and solar energy production forecasts, the system will carry out fully automatic production planning. This enables us to utilize renewable sources effectively while benefitting from cheap excess electricity on the market.”

Once up and running, the Ren-Gas fleet will consume green energy in its operations. “We have to be able to follow wind and solar energy production closely and flexibly adjust our own production,” comments Antti Alahäivälä, Development Manager at Ren-Gas. “Based on wind and solar energy production forecasts, the system will carry out fully automatic production planning. This enables us to utilize renewable sources effectively while benefitting from cheap excess electricity on the market.”

Simulator showcases the feasibility of operations for stakeholders

Modeling and simulating the entire process is a tool to demonstrate the feasibility of the project not only to Ren-Gas but to its stakeholders, too.

Unlike many startup companies, Ren-Gas does not try to impress its audience with PowerPoint presentations. Instead, it proves feasibility with the simulator. “We are able to show that our plans are far from utopistic. All investors want to support the green transition, but it has to be profitable for them,” Sipilä remarks.

The simulator demonstrates operational feasibility to stakeholders. In the picture, Juho Piista from Ren-Gas and Arttu Halminen from Valmet.

Smart automation and energy transition go hand in hand

Ren-Gas and Valmet are currently finalizing the factory acceptance test (FAT) phase of the central control room simulator. The system will soon be transferred to Ren-Gas’s facilities in Espoo.

Ren-Gas and Valmet finalizing the factory acceptance test of the central control room simulator.

The FAT phase has met our expectations. It has involved a lot of fruitful discussions in which both parties have brought new ideas. We have seen how Valmet is truly interested in working with us – not only as a technology supplier but as a partner who is eager to move things forward.”

“The FAT phase has met our expectations. It has involved a lot of fruitful discussions in which both parties have brought new ideas,” adds Alahäivälä. “We have seen how Valmet is truly interested in working with us – not only as a technology supplier but as a partner who is eager to move things forward.”

Ren-Gas will continue to develop and update the central control room simulator together with Valmet. It will remain a long-term platform for ongoing system development, operator training and control strategy evolution.

Ren-Gas will continue developing and updating the central control room simulator in collaboration with Valmet. From left in the photo: Mikko Kukkoniemi, Jyri Kaivosoja and Arto Mäkinen from Valmet, Antti Alahäivälä, Juho Piispa and Aleksi Sipilä from Ren-Gas, and Tiina Stenvik from Valmet.

This project demonstrates how smart automation and energy transition go hand in hand. It shows what’s possible when operational strategy and digital capability are developed in parallel.”

“This project demonstrates how smart automation and energy transition go hand in hand,” concludes Valmet’s Jyri Kaivosoja. “It shows what’s possible when operational strategy and digital capability are developed in parallel.”