Liquid Wind partners with Ørsted to produce e-methanol in Sweden

Liquid Wind’s FlagshipONE eMethanol project is a late-stage development project, and the first of a potential series of facilities across Sweden aimed at decarbonising the maritime sector.

FlagshipONE will have an electrolyser capacity of around 70MW and is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year based on renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO2. The electrolysis producing the hydrogen will be powered by onshore wind, and the biogenic CO2 will be captured from the combined heat and power plant Hörneborgsverket in Örnsköldsvik in Sweden, where FlagshipONE will be located.

Ørsted and Liquid Wind expect to commission FlagshipONE in 2024, subject to final investment decision which could happen as soon as 2022.

Last year, Liquid Wind awarded a front-end engineering contract to Worley for the facility. The award followed the announcement that Siemens Energy was joining the power-to-methanol coalition and would supply the PEM electrolyzer for the project. The Liquid Wind consortium also includes Alfa Laval, Carbon Clean and Haldor Topsoe.

“Our green fuel will become a dominant fuel for true decarbonisation in the hard to abate shipping sectors, reducing CO2 emissions with more than 90%,” said Claes Fredriksson, CEO and Founder of Liquid Wind.

Ørsted’s entry into the FlagshipONE project is part of the company’s plans to be a leader in green fuels and renewable hydrogen. FlagshipONE adds to Ørsted’s growing hydrogen and Power-to-X project pipeline, which includes several projects aimed at decarbonising maritime transport including the Green Fuels for Denmark project in Copenhagen.

Martin Neubert, CCO and Deputy Group CEO of Ørsted, says: “Ørsted has set the clear strategic ambition of building a global leadership position within renewable hydrogen and green fuels, and our investment in FlagshipONE is a clear proof of our commitment to this ambition. Like we did with offshore wind, we are at Ørsted ready to be a driving force in maturing the green fuels industry, where we can play a significant role in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like maritime transport.”