Sweden’s Liquid Wind eyes third e-methanol plant

Swedish e-fuels developer up Liquid Wind is planning a 100,000t/yr e-methanol facility in the Vasterbotten region of northern Sweden. It is scheduled to start production in 2026.

Liquid Wind agreed to locate the methanol facility next to a cogeneration power plant owned by local utility Umea Energi which burns biomass and biofuels to make heat and power. The deal benefits both parties as the project will capture 230,000t/yr CO2 emissions from the existing plant, which can be used as feedstock for synthesis of the methanol. The project could trim CO2 emissions in the Umea municipality by 40pc, Umea Energi said. The methanol production will also result in surplus heat which can be used for district heating.

The partners carried out a feasibility study which confirmed good conditions for e-methanol production and the next steps are in-depth investigations and permitting, they said. The developers aim to take a final investment decision by next year.

The project plans to supply methanol to the shipping industry and displacement of fossil fuels will avert 150,000t/yr CO2, Umea Energi said.

The plant at Dava in Umea is the third e-methanol project which Liquid Wind has planned in Sweden, after its 50,000t/yr FlagshipONE project at Ornkoldsvik which was acquired by Orsted and 100,000t/yr FlagshipTWO at Sundsvall. Liquid Wind aims to develop ten e-methanol facilities by 2030. It raised €15.2mn in October 2022.

Liquid Wind has not confirmed electrolysis capacity at the new plant, but it could be 140MW, as the company is planning to produce twice as much e-methanol as the Ornkoldsvik project which has 70MW.

By Aidan Lea