(Kassø, Denmark) – Danish project developer European Energy has officially inaugurated its large-scale e-methanol production plant in the municipality of Aabenraa. According to the company, the annual production capacity is 42.000 tons. A previous announcement stated that Siemens Energy supplied three electrolyzers with a combined output of 52,5 megawatts for the production of the necessary green hydrogen. The electricity is generated by a solar park with an installed capacity of 304 megawatts.
The Kassø plant produced e-methanol for the first time in March. © European Energy A/S
The owner is Solar Park Kassø ApS, a subsidiary of Kassø MidCo ApS. In the summer of 2023, the Japanese trading and investment company Mitsui & Co. acquired a 49 percent stake in the project, while European Energy continues to hold a majority stake of 51 percent. In March of this year, the companies celebrated the first five tons of methanol produced in Kassø using biogenic CO2 from the biogas plant in Tønder. In April, the owners announced the production of the first batch of industrial-grade e-methanol with a purity of 99,85 percent.
The "Laura Maersk" will now operate on e-methanol from Kassø. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen christened the ship in Copenhagen in 2023. © AP Moller – Maersk
Customers include the toy manufacturer Lego Group and the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S. The majority of the proceeds, however, go to the Danish shipping company AP Moller – Maersk. The e-methanol produced in Kassø serves as fuel for the "Laura Mærsk," the world's first container ship capable of running on methanol. It was inaugurated by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September 2023. With almost 700 vessels, the logistics group operates the world's second-largest container ship fleet. It aims to be greenhouse gas-free by 2040 and to transport at least 2030 percent of its ocean freight using environmentally friendly fuels by 25.
The company has now ordered 24 more methanol-powered ships, which are scheduled for delivery by 2027. Maersk reached its first agreements for the supply of methanol in March 2022 with six companies from several countries, which are to produce the fuel at locations worldwide, including European Energy (as we reported).
Photo above
In operation: The new methanol plant in Kassø, Denmark, is powered by solar power and has a capacity of 42.000 tons. © European Energy A/S
