WasteFuel to develop renewable methanol plant in the Middle East
US-based biofuel producer WasteFuel has partnered with Dubai-based waste management company Averda to develop a commercial scale municipal waste to renewable methanol plant in the Middle East.
PHOTO: Averda’s waste collection truck passing by the sea. Averda
The duo is considering setting up the plant in Jebel Ali, a key port in the UAE. It will use unrecyclable municipal waste collected by Averda to produce methanol. They announced the joint project yesterday during the COP27 Climate Conference.
WasteFuel says that production of renewable methanol for shipping “is crucial in global efforts to decarbonize.”
It claims that renewable methanol will help shipping companies cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional fossil fuels.
In September this year, WasteFuel announced its intention to produce 100 mt/day of green methanol using different types of municipal waste such as gas from landfill and anaerobic digestion.
The company sees potential future demand for the green fuel as several major shipping firms, including Maersk, COSCO, CMA CGM, Proman and Stena Line have committed to fuel some of their vessels with methanol.
Classification society DNV’s data shows that the number of methanol-fuelled vessels currently in operation or on order for delivery (25) will more than triple over the next few years. A total of 84 methanol-fuelled vessels are registered as in operation or on order towards 2028.
By Tuhin Roy
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