Sweden – The environmental permission for the first large-scale green electrofuel facility for the marine industry has been granted to the Swedish green fuels project FlagshipONE, owned jointly by Liquid Wind and Ørsted.
Initial construction phase groundwork is scheduled to begin in 2023. The town of Örnsköldsvik in northeastern Sweden is where the facility will be constructed. Once completed, the facility will begin providing the maritime sector with 50,000 tons per year of renewable and fossil-free fuel beginning in 2024.
Connections will be made between FlagshipONE and the Hörneborgsverket CHP plant in Örnsköldsvik, which is owned and operated by Övik Energi. The plant will use renewable electricity and water to create green hydrogen, which will then be combined with carbon dioxide for upcycling into green electrofuel. eMethanol, a renewable electrofuel, is produced by combining biogenic CO2 with power from renewable sources. CO2 levels in the atmosphere will not rise as a result. Eleven months after the initial application was submitted, the Land and Environment Court in Ume issued the environmental permit.
E-fuels hub
Liquid Wind’s CEO and founder, Claes Fredriksson, claims that they are getting close to making a final investment decision for FlagshipONE. Together with DFDS, Stena Line, Ørsted, and the Port of Gothenburg, the company has formed a cross-sector collaboration for zero-emission shipping through the establishment of an electromethanol (e-fuels) center. Liquid Wind and Ørsted came to a deal in early 2022, with Ørsted purchasing a 45 percent stake in FlagshipONE. The Swedish government’s environmental protection agency, Naturvårdsverket, has awarded Liquid Wind and the FlagshipONE project an investment grant called “Klimatklivet.”