Study reveals that bio-LNG can contribute to maritime decarbonization
In Singapore, a new study commissioned by SEA-LNG has found that liquified bio-methane (bio-LNG) can make a major contribution to maritime decarbonization.
Conducted by the Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Center of Excellence (MESD CoE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the study explored questions around fuel availability, cost, lifecycle emissions and logistics, providing an overview of the applicability of bio-LNG as marine fuel.
The findings suggest that pure bio-LNG could cover up to 3% of the total energy demand for shipping fuels in 2030 and 13% in 2050. If it is considered as a drop-in fuel blended with fossil LNG, bio-LNG could cover up to 16% and 63% of the total energy demand in 2030 and 2050, respectively, assuming a 20% blending ratio, according to the research.
The report also forecasts that the average cost for delivered bio-LNG will fall by 30% by 2050 compared to today’s values, mainly driven by the reduced cost of producing biomethane in large-scale anaerobic digestion plants.
Associate Professor Jasmine Lam, Center Director, MESD CoE, NTU Singapore, said: “Our research concludes that bio-LNG, produced from sustainable biomass resources, has the potential to meet a significant proportion of future shipping energy demand. The findings show that bio-LNG is among the cheapest sustainable biofuels and can potentially offer significant cost advantage over electrofuels by 2050.”
Category: Research
