European Energy building e-methanol plant to fuel the marine sector – Methanol Institute
Danish company European Energy is building a large-scale commercial e-methanol plant to “progress the decarbonisation of the global freight industry”, according to the Methanol Institute.
PHOTO: European Energy-owned solar park in Kasso, Denmark. European Energy
E-methanol or synthetic methanol is made from carbon dioxide captured from renewable sources, like bioenergy, using carbon capture and storage or through direct air capture.
The Denmark-based facility will be capable of producing 32,000 mt/year of carbon-neutral hydrocarbon fuels using solar power from its 300 megawatts (MW) solar park. To purify the e-methanol for combustion engines, the company will use separation technologies from Swiss industrial machinery manufacturer Sulzer Chemtech.
US-based Methanol Institute (MI), an industry trade association for methanol cites European Energy as saying the project marks the "first step" in bringing e-fuel to market at scale for the maritime sector.
The company will deliver half of its total production of 16,000 mt/year to Danish shipping major A.P. Moller-Maersk to fuel its 19 green-methanol-capable vessels on order.
Emil Vikjær-Andresen, head of Power-to-X at European Energy says, “the success of our operations depends on the ability to deliver high-quality e-methanol, meeting demanding specifications, while minimising the environmental impact of our activities. Only in this way can we effectively support the adoption of more sustainable fuels.”
Earlier this week, MI forecast renewable methanol production will reach 8 million mt/year by 2027, with e-methanol contributing 5 million mt/year.
By Konica Bhatt
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