Various media, including the Handelsblatt, describe the potential breakthrough of green methanol as an emission-free fuel for the shipping and aviation industries. A key topic is the first successful production of methanol by the start-up C1 Green Chemicals at the Leuna Chemical Park using a new process that avoids greenhouse gas emissions and is more cost-effective.
Methanol, previously produced from fossil fuels, could be produced in a climate-neutral way in the future by using green hydrogen and CO2 from renewable sources. Companies such as C1 and projects in Denmark are driving this development forward. The challenge lies in reducing the cost of electricity for electrolysis, as hydrogen is currently still expensive.
Overall, these technologies could make an enormous contribution to reducing CO2 emissions, especially in shipping, which is to become climate-neutral by 2050. Innovative catalysis processes, such as those developed by C1, make production more efficient, but the availability of green methanol remains a major hurdle to a commercial breakthrough.
Methanol, an important basic chemical in the chemical industry and a potential alternative to diesel, is currently mainly produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas. The French energy group Total produces around 700,000 tonnes of methanol annually at the Leuna Chemical Park alone. Leuna has been the centre of fossil methanol production in Europe for over a century. Now this site could develop into a European centre for green methanol.
At the same time, another major project is being driven forward in Kasso in southern Denmark, close to the German border. The project developer European Energy and the Japanese investment company Mitsui are investing more than one billion euros in the construction of Europe's largest plant for converting green electricity into synthetic fuels. From the second half of 2024, the plant will produce e-methanol and supply it to major customers such as the shipping company Maersk and the toy manufacturer Lego. These two sites, Leuna and Kasso, could make a decisive contribution to the breakthrough of green methanol in Europe.
