Topsoe will supply synthesis technology to a 40,000-tonne-per-year green hydrogen-based e-methanol plant in Spain, which is expected to reach a final investment decision (FID) by June 2025.
Forestal del Atlántico’s Triskelion project in Galicia plans to start production in January 2028, having secured a €49m ($51.5m) grant from the EU Innovation Fund in 2023. It will combine captured CO2 and green hydrogen to produce e-methanol.
Intended to supply the shipping and chemicals industries, the project is planned to produce 40,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually, capturing and using around 56,000 tonnes of CO2.
H2 View estimates that 7,620 tonnes of hydrogen would be required annually to meet the output’s demands – equating to around 44MW of electrolysis capacity.
Topsoe will provide its e-methanol reactor and catalyst technologies to synthesise the hydrogen and CO2, as well as providing engineering support for the project.
Andrés Fuentes, CEO of Forestal del Atlántico, said it was a “guarantee of the highest level” to have Topsoe named as a technology supplier for the project and decarbonising the company that has been using methanol in its glue and resin manufacturing for over 30 years.
Outside of traditional methanol use cases, e-methanol emits less CO2 than natural gas and diesel-based marine fuels and can already be used in commercially available dual-fuel engines. Methanol is also already transported globally, with mature infrastructure existing.
“e-methanol will act as a key driver in decarbonising energy-intensive sectors and may be one of the leading e-fuels used in reducing carbon emissions in industries such as international shipping,” stressed Kim Hedegaard, CEO of Power-to-X at Topsoe.
Fuelling the future of shipping: e-methanol or ammonia?
Shipping’s decarbonisation will be a central pillar in meeting Net Zero targets. Accounting for around 2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 20221, the maritime industry’s drive towards carbon neutrality has been catalysed by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) recently revised carbon reduction targets.
The new strategy released in 2023 enhanced the industry’s ambition to meet Net Zero by 2050, committing to ensure the uptake of zero and near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission fuels by 2030. It set targets to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20% (with an ambition for 30%) by 2030, and at least 70% (striving for 80%) by 2040 compared to 2008 levels.
Building off the revised Net Zero strategy, the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) met in London, UK, in March to agree on possible draft outlines for its Net Zero framework to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping.
With near-term options including energy efficiency measures for ships, the uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and energy sources is seen as the clear path to take the industry to Net Zero.
The industry faces some of the largest hurdles of any sector. While some trading routes could be switched to zero-emission land travel, many shipping routes are essential to global trade and can only be carried out by sea. Furthermore, the fragmented nature of the industry with a complex contracting structure reduces the incentives to drive efficiency to the maximum…
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