Danish green energy company European Energy has ordered a 50MW electrolyser plant from Siemens Energy for its Aabenraa green methanol plant in southern Denmark, which will be the first large-scale plant of its kind, and secures the e-Methanol supply for Maersk’s first container ship to operate on this future fuel.
Through the nearby 300 MW solar park of Kassø, developed by European Energy, the project will have access to the low-cost renewable electricity needed to produce cost-effective e-Fuel. The is said to mark the starting point into large-scale CO2-neutral shipping. Start of commercial methanol production is planned for the second half of 2023.
The Siemens electrolysis system consists of three full arrays of its latest and most powerful line of PEM (proton exchange membrane) electrolysis products including transformers, rectifiers, distributed control system (DCS) plus the equipment to produce demineralised water. European Energy is the owner of the project and will be responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction, as well as for the operation of the facility.
Stefano Innocenzi, SVP New Energy Business, Siemens Energy, said: “Climate change requires urgent action. Together with our partner European Energy we are taking over a first mover’s role in decarbonizing the marine industry. With this project we will bring e-Methanol to market at scale. E-Methanol or derived e-Fuels are predestined for long-distance ship and road transportation as well as for aviation. The project will be proof of the successful commercialisation and scaling of our PEM technology.”
Knud Erik Andersen, CEO European Energy, said: “We are pleased to place this important order of what is believed to be the first large-scale commercial Power-to-X-project of its kind in the world. This is a crucial moment in the green transition as we move forward with the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as the shipping industry, and we trust that Siemens Energy outstanding know-how of electrolysers will become a strong foundation to expand our business of delivering sustainable fuels to the world.”
Globally, shipping consumes around 3,050 terawatt hours (TWh) of the worldwide final energy consumption. For comparison: This is more than five times the total electricity consumption of Germany. And as nearly all is based on fossil fuels, mainly bunker oil, the shipping sector emits about 1,000mt/yr of CO2. The IMO decarbonisation target to halve GHG emissions by 2050 are likely to be met through new logistics approaches, increased efficiency, speed/power reductions and – as the most effective pathway – the application of sustainable fuels, i.e. largely carbon-neutral electricity-based fuels (e-Fuels), for propulsion.
