The Kassø e-methanol facility in Aabenraa, Denmark, has been officially inaugurated and is now supplying e-methanol to offtakers.
Developed by European Energy and operated in collaboration with Mitsui, the facility is owned by Solar Park Kassø under Kassø MidCo, with European Energy holding a 51% stake and Mitsui & Co. 49%. The new facility is now supplying e-methanol to users including A.P. Moller–Maersk.
The Kassø facility is believed to be the first of its kind globally to produce e-methanol at commercial scale. The plant has an annual production capacity of 42,000t and operates entirely on renewable energy sources. Situated next to Northern Europe’s largest solar park—the 304 MW Kassø solar park—the facility integrates large-scale renewable power generation with carbon capture and utilisation. By combining biogenic CO₂ with green hydrogen produced on-site, the Kassø e-methanol facility manufactures e-methanol with up to a 97% reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil-based products.
The project is designed to support the direct decarbonisation of sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify. A.P. Moller–Maersk will use e-methanol produced at Kassø to fuel its container feeder vessel Laura Mærsk, the world’s first container vessel capable of operating on methanol. E-methanol from the facility will also be used in industrial processes where fossil-based methanol has traditionally been standard, such as plastics, with the LEGO Group another offtaker of e-methanol from Kassø, using it to replace fossil methanol in the production of selected products.
Mitsui contributed strategic expertise and global reach to support the facility’s long-term development and operation. The collaboration between European Energy and Mitsui reflects a shared ambition to accelerate commercial pathways for Power-to-X technologies and expand the use of low-emission alternatives in hard-to-abate sectors globally.
Knud Erik Andersen, CEO European Energy, said: “The start of operations at Kassø marks a major step forward in bringing Power-to-X technologies into real-world use. This is renewable energy in action, transforming how we use electricity.”
Takashi Furutani, Senior Executive Managing Officer, Mitsui, added: ““We are honoured to play a pivotal role in advancing this pioneering project, which fosters integrated approaches across product value chains as part of our global energy transition strategy. Kassø exemplifies the importance of international collaboration in scaling low-emission solutions.”
Rabab Raafat Boulos, EVP and COO, A.P. Moller–Maersk, said: “We are excited to receive the first e-methanol from the Kassø facility, marking an important milestone in our global efforts to source alternative fuels for our vessel fleet. The future of shipping must include multiple fuel types operating alongside each other, with methanol playing a key role in the industry’s net-zero ambitions.”
Image: The Kassø e-methanol plant in Denmark (source: European Energy)
