Power-to-fuel project plans 6 commercial-scale carbon neutral fuel facilities by 2030

We all need some good news right now so it was welcoming to see the latest newsflash from Liquid Wind about the Expert Consortium uniting for a green Power-to-Fuel project to convert carbon emissions into cost-effective carbon neutral fuel.

In today’s Digest, the details on the project, led by Liquid Wind, plans to establish commercial-scale renewable fuel facilities, the players of the Consortium like Axpo, COWI, Carbon Clean Solutions, Haldor Topsoe, Nel Hydrogen and Siemens, and exactly how they will produce liquid, carbon neutral fuel from captured carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. Here are the details on the project, the plans, the players and more.

The project

The Power-to-Fuel project, led by Liquid Wind, will establish commercial-scale renewable fuel facilities. The 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 project is supported by a 1.7 million Euro (nearly $1.9 million) investment from EIT InnoEnergy and is a significant milestone in meeting growing demand for renewable fuels to enable more sustainable transportation.

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. According to Liquid Wind’s press release, 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.

Here are 4 key facts on the project from Liquid Fuel:

• Each eMethanol facility will capture 70KT of CO₂ and generate 45KT of fuel, enabling a significant CO₂ reduction of 90KT, per year.
• Liquid Wind is actively engaged in discussions with potential fuel buyers and is expecting to secure long-term sales agreements for the capacity of the first facility later this year.
• Liquid Wind is in discussions with large-scale investors to secure financing for the facility, providing stable, long-term investment prospects.
• EIT InnoEnergy is an investment body and part of the European Union. Through knowledge, financing and their network of contacts, they support the commercialization of products and their introduction to international markets.

The plans

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 6 facilities across Scandinavia by 2030, the concept will then be scaled and licensed internationally.

The players

There are some big names involved in the project but a few you may not be too familiar with. Some of the expertise and technology featured in this project includes:

Liquid Wind – Starting with the leader of the project, this is a circular carbon energy company striving for a cooler world, in their words. From Gothenburg, Sweden, the emerging company will develop, finance, build and manage replicable eMethanol facilities to accelerate the transition to carbon neutral transportation and industry.

Axpo Nordic AS – They will handle power supply to the facility, this includes balance responsibility, intra-day optimization and long-term fix-price supply for power. According to the press release, Axpo is the perfect partner for this given their extensive wind portfolio and interest in contributing to both wind power investments, ancillary services to the market and new sustainability-based business ideas in line with Liquid Wind.

Carbon Clean Solutions – Considered 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. Alongside this talented team of industry experts, they are excited to contribute to a net zero world, according to the press release.

COWI – A leading consulting group with competencies within engineering, economics and environmental science will surely come in handy in this project. They will support the Consortium with Project Management and Engineering, to ensure all partner’s work is incorporated for the Balance of Plant. COWI are interested to support the use of advanced fuels made from renewable feedstocks and enable the transformation to a more sustainable future.

Haldor Topsoe – They will contribute its proven and highly efficient methanol process, hardware and catalysts to the Liquid Wind consortium. “Topsoe is proud to be part of this consortium that brings together very capable players in the field to achieve this,” according to the press release.

Reactions from the stakeholders

“Industries and governments are making commitments to reduce their carbon emissions and operate in a more sustainable manner,” said Claes Fredriksson, CEO & Founder, Liquid Wind. “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.”

“The world needs to reduce CO₂ emissions, and e-methanol can help to achieve that,” said Tore Sylvester Jeppesen, Senior Business Development Director, Haldor Topsoe. “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.”

Bottom Line

Liquid Wind is in discussions with several other companies including shipping companies and expects to sign contractual or purchase agreements with them for carbon neutral fuel in the coming months, so stay tuned for more news to come from them later in the year. And keep the good news coming, as we could all use some more of that right now.