Ørsted, a Danish energy company, is building Europe’s largest commercial production facility for carbon-neutral marine fuels in northeastern Sweden. The FlagshipONE plant, developed by Liquid Wind AB, will produce up to 50,000 metric tons of e-methanol per year from renewable energy and biogenic carbon dioxide from 2025.
The plant uses Siemens Energy’s technology package, which includes four PEM electrolyzers with a total capacity of 70 MW and digitalization solutions.
E-methanol is a CO2-neutral electrofuel that will be used in “dual-fuel” ship engines to contribute to the decarbonization of international maritime transportation. The FlagshipONE plant serves as a blueprint for modular e-methanol plants that can be scaled and replicated across Sweden and beyond. Liquid Wind has plans to develop at least ten facilities in Scandinavia by 2030, with Siemens Energy playing a significant role in their development.
The next plant, FlagshipTWO, is already being developed by Liquid Wind and will supply 100,000 metric tons of e-methanol to the market using a 140-MW capacity electrolyzer. These developments mark an exciting step forward in the production of sustainable marine fuels, which are essential to reducing global carbon emissions.
One idea that can be borrowed from this news is the use of modular, replicable e-methanol production plants to reduce carbon emissions in the shipping industry. This approach was pioneered by Liquid Wind AB in the development of the FlagshipONE plant, which serves as a blueprint for other e-methanol plants that can be scaled and replicated across Sweden and beyond.
For example, Liquid Wind plans to develop at least ten facilities in Scandinavia by 2030 using this modular approach (source: Reuters). This approach can also be applied in other countries with a strong renewable energy infrastructure and a need to reduce carbon emissions in the shipping industry.
Additionally, the use of Siemens Energy’s technology package, which includes PEM electrolyzers and digitalization solutions, can be helpful in the development and implementation of e-methanol plants. Siemens Energy is playing a significant role in the development of e-methanol facilities, including FlagshipONE and FlagshipTWO, and is providing the framework for turning these facilities into reality with its technology package (source: Siemens Energy).
Other countries can borrow these ideas to develop their own e-methanol production facilities and reduce carbon emissions in the shipping industry. By adopting a modular, replicable approach and utilizing technology packages like those offered by Siemens Energy, countries can more efficiently and effectively produce sustainable marine fuels and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change.