Sweden – Today in Örnsköldsvik, Northern Sweden, Ørsted broke ground on Europe’s largest e-methanol project, FlagshipONE. FlagshipONE will start production in 2025 when it will produce 50,000 tonnes of e-methanol yearly.
Originally developed by Liquid Wind, FlagshipONE will be located next to Övik Energi’s combined heat and power plant in Örnsköldsvik. The project is supported by a broad aliancy that includes Siemens Energy, Carbon Clean and Topsoe, who will deliver the electrolysers and control system, the carbon capture equipment, and the methanol synthesis equipment, respectively.
Maritime fuels
The groundbreaking of FlagshipONE not only marks the construction start of the project, but also the first steps in a new green era of shipping, where large-scale methanol production facilities will supply a constantly growing fleet of methanol-powered vessels. Currently, over 110 e-methanol vessels have been ordered or are in operation, up from 80 vessels at the end of 2022. At the same time, new regulation such as Fuel EU Maritime is also increasing the demand for new, green maritime fuels. FlagshipONE will start production in 2025 when it will produce 50,000 tonnes of e-methanol yearly.
Copenhagen
According to Ørsted global shipping accounts for around 3 % of global carbon emissions, and the sector is a focus area of the company company. Ørsted expands its presence in Power-to-X across Northern Europe and the US. FlagshipONE is the first e-methanol project in Ørsted’s ambitious green fuel pipeline; the company is also developing the 300,000 tonnes/year ‘Project Star’ in the US Gulf Coast area and the ‘Green Fuels for Denmark’ project in Copenhagen, which will also produce significant volumes of e-methanol to enable the decarbonisation of shipping.
Övik Energi
The e-methanol from FlagshipONE will be produced using renewable electricity and biogenic carbon dioxide captured from Övik’s power plant. In addition, FlagshipONE will use steam, process water, and cooling water from Övik Energy, and excess heat from the e-methanol production process will be delivered back and integrated into their district heating supply.
