CMA CGM to invest in bio-methane plant

Salamander is expected to come on stream gradually in 2026 and produce 11,000 tons of second-generation bio-methane annually, backed by a total investment of €150 million. The project is the application on an industrial scale of 10 years of research and development conducted by ENGIE within the framework of the GAYA project, which has demonstrated the technical, economic and environmental viability of producing renewable gas.

The project is the first milestone towards CMA CGM and ENGIE’s shared goal of producing up to 200,000 tons of renewable gas annually worldwide by 2028.

Majority-owned by ENGIE and the CMA CGM Group, the site is being considered to be located in Le Havre, backed by the support of the Havre Seine Métropole urban community via the investment program “Le Havre, Ville portuaire intelligente” (Le Havre, a smart port city). The unit will be fuelled by dry biomass from local wood-waste sources, along with solid recovered fuel, and will produce the biomethane via pyrogasification process.

A funding request has been submitted to the European Commission’s Innovation Fund. By developing the renewable gas industry and the Salamander project, both CMA CGM and ENGIE will help achieve the energy independence and energy transition goals set forth by the European Commission in the RepowerEU plan.

The CMA CGM Group, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050, already has a fleet of 30 dual-fuel “e-methane ready” ships in operation – a figure that will rise to 77 by the end of 2026.