Saipem, Stockholm Exergi plan BECCS project in Sweden

Saipem and Stockholm Exergi will build a plant in Stockholm to capture and store around 800,000 mt/year of biogenic CO2.

PHOTO: Stockholm Exergi's Värtaverket biomass-fuelled power plant. Stockholm Exergi

The plant will capture and store biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from energy provider Stockholm Exergi's Värtaverket biomass-fuelled power plant in the Swedish capital.

Italian multinational Saipem will also build a storage facility for the captured carbon dioxide (CO2) and a system for loading it on ships for transportation.

The project will “be one of Europe’s first large-scale plants to generate negative emissions,” claimed Saipem.

Negative emissions, or carbon dioxide removal, is a process of removing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it for other purposes. This is usually done by bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) or direct air capture (DAC) technology or by planting trees.

This process can help eliminate carbon emissions from the atmosphere and reduce global warming.

Unlocking shipping sector’s green potential

The project is also significant for the shipping sector from a green fuel supply point of view.

This is because biogenic CO2 captured through bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) can be used as a feedstock in synthetic or e-methanol production. E-methanol produced by this method is virtually free of greenhouse gases and can cut a vessel's CO2 emissions by 95% compared to conventional marine fuels on a well-to-wake basis.

With regulations such as FuelEU Maritime requiring at least 2% synthetic fuel onboard vessels, e-methanol is expected to become increasingly popular in the maritime industry.

This potential demand has prompted numerous e-methanol projects in Sweden and other Nordic countries. It includes, among others, Danish wind energy giant Orsted’s 50,000 mt/year e-methanol plant that will start production in 2025.

In addition, e-fuel facility developer Liquid Wind is building a 100,000 mt/year e-methanol plant that will commence operation from 2025 and have planned one more, both in Sweden. It also plans to build two additional e-methanol plants in the Nordic region. Total Eren and Aliceco Energy also plan to build up to 400,000 mt/year e-methanol production plant in Finland to meet shipping demand.

Saipem's upcoming project could provide a crucial raw material to scale up the production of cleaner marine fuel, which could help the sector to meet carbon reduction targets.

By Konica Bhatt

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