The foundation stone was laid today for the compressed gas station on Peterburi Road, designed to supply fuel for Tallinn’s new eco-friendly buses. Bioforce Infra OÜ, which won the public procurement, will construct the first stage of the station near the Peterburi Road bus terminal, expected to be operational by January.
The station on Peterburi Road will span 25,000 square meters, featuring 120 slow-fueling stations and two fast-fuel pumps, making it the largest facility of its kind across the Baltics and Finland. In March, Bioforce will commence the second construction phase—building a compressed gas station on Kadaka Road. This station will cover 35,000 square meters, with 200 slow-fueling points and two fast-fuel pumps. Alongside the new stations, the bus terminals on Peterburi and Kadaka Roads will be renovated, covering a total area of 170,000 square meters.
“In the future, up to 400 gas-powered buses will be able to refuel daily across the two new stations, with scalability options to increase capacity as needed. The terminals will connect to a standard natural gas supply, compressing it onsite. The fueling technology will be fully automated, eliminating the need for onsite operators,” explained Henry Uljas, Chairman of Bioforce Infra OÜ.
Bioforce Infra OÜ is investing €7.5 million in the construction of both stations. Including fuel, the total value of the 10-year gas station contract is approximately €80 million, marking it the largest gas contract in Estonia’s public transport sector.
This extensive upgrade covers the procurement of new buses, station construction, and terminal renovations. “All current diesel buses will be replaced with environmentally friendly alternatives. In the coming years, 350 new biofuel-powered buses will operate in Tallinn, with 100 of these on the roads by the end of this year,” noted Deniss Boroditš, a board member of Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS. “This represents the largest eco-friendly upgrade to Tallinn’s public transport in recent years. With the new buses, the ecological footprint of Tallinn’s public transport will be reduced by about 25,000 tons annually,” Boroditš added.
According to Deputy Mayor Andrei Novikov, the new buses will not only be environmentally friendly but also reduce costs. “Switching from diesel to gas-powered buses will cut expenses by approximately €5 million per year. Currently, gas-powered buses offer the best cost-quality balance. The fleet renewal will also save on the repair and maintenance of outdated infrastructure,” said Novikov.
The main contractor for the construction on Peterburi Road 73 is Verston Ehitus, responsible for building the bus terminals and gas station areas. Erkko Saluste, board member of Verston, highlighted the company’s commitment to modern and sustainable solutions, expressing enthusiasm for the project: “We are committed to ensuring that gas-powered buses will be ready to hit the roads on schedule,” Saluste affirmed.
Bioforce OÜ will construct the shelters, foundations, essential infrastructure, and technology components under the commission of Bioforce Infra OÜ, with Nordecon Betoon OÜ handling general construction work. Bioforce Infra OÜ, primarily based on Estonian capital, brings top-level expertise and extensive experience in similar station projects through a partnership with the UK’s largest compressed gas station operator, CNG Fuels Ltd. The shareholders of Bioforce Infra OÜ include Bioforce OÜ, Vintselle OÜ, and CNG Fuels Ltd., with financing provided by AS LHV Bank.