Consortium to build six commercial-scale eMethanol plants across Scandinavia by 2030

The Power-to-Fuel project, led by Liquid Wind, will establish commercial-scale renewable fuel facilities, the Gothenburg, Sweden based company announced. A consortium consisting of Axpo, COWI, Carbon Clean Solutions, Haldor Topsoe, Nel Hydrogen and Siemens, will combine their expertise and technology to produce liquid, carbon neutral fuel from captured carbon dioxide (CCU) and green hydrogen (from renewable electricity).

The consortium is now designing  the technology integration for the first facility in Sweden and expect to be supplying eMethanol from 2023. Each facility will produce 45,000 tonnes of carbon neutral fuel per year, enabling a reduction of 90,000 tonnes of CO2. 

The long-term collaboration will result in a standardised eMethanol facility blueprint, captured as a ‘digital twin’, for efficient replication. Liquid Wind and the consortium intend to develop six facilities across Scandinavia by 2030, the concept will then be scaled and licensed. internationally.

“Industries and governments are making commitments to reduce their carbon emissions and operate in a more sustainable manner. To actually achieve this, we need to ensure that we have the necessary resources and infrastructure in place. With our passionate team and expert consortium Liquid Wind are excited to bring cost-competitive and scalable renewable fuel to market to meet this growing demand and enable a more sustainable future,” said Claes Fredriksson, CEO and founder, Liquid Wind.

“The world needs to reduce CO2 emissions, and eMethanol can help to achieve that. It makes us proud to be part of this consortium that brings together very capable players in the field. We look forward to bringing our tried and tested methanol technology into this innovative context,” said Tore Sylvester Jeppesen, senior business development director, Haldor Topsoe.

Together, the consortium members will integrate their technology and optimise the fuel production process. Each facility will capture waste carbon dioxide (CCU) and combine this with hydrogen, made from renewable electricity and water, to produce renewable methanol, eMethanol. This versatile, liquid fuel is carbon neutral and easy to store, transport and use. The process of upcycling waste carbon dioxide for use as a renewable fuel to replace fossil fuels, will prevent the emission of new carbon dioxide. The fuel provides an ideal solution to reduce carbon emissions, particularly within the marine sector and road transport, which are currently lacking viable, low-carbon fuel options at scale.

Some of the expertise and technology featured in this project includes:

• Axpo Nordic AS will handle power supply to the facility, this includes balance responsibility, intra-day optimization and long-term fix-price supply for power.
• Carbon Clean Solutions is a global leader in low-cost carbon dioxide capture technology. Their highly effective technology will efficiently capture and concentrate waste carbon dioxide from large-scale emitters.
• COWI is a leading consulting group with world-class competencies within engineering, economics and environmental science. They will support the consortium with project Management and engineering, to ensure all partner’s work is incorporated for the balance of plant.
• Haldor Topsoe will contribute its proven and highly efficient methanol process, hardware and catalysts to the Liquid Wind consortium.

The project is supported by a EUR1.7 million (USD1.8 million) investment from EIT InnoEnergy and is a significant milestone in meeting growing demand for renewable fuels to enable more sustainable transportation.

Liquid Wind is in discussions with several other companies and expects to sign contractual agreements in the coming months.