Industry leaders collaborate to establish Europe's first green e-fuels hub
Stena Line, DFDS, Ørsted and Liquid Wind partner with the Port of Gothenburg to establish an electromethanol (e-fuels) hub. As the largest port in Scandinavia, Gothenburg is the ideal choice for the first delivery and bunkering point for green e-fuels. With the intent to launch in 2025, this pioneering venture is a tangible step towards a carbon neutral shipping industry.
Cross-sector meeting green e-fuels in Gothenburg, 1 September 2022. Hosted by Liquid Wind.
Cross-sector collaboration for zero-emission shipping
Stena Line, a Swedish ferry line company with an extensive European route network and DFDS, a leading European Shipping and Logistics company are partnering with FlagshipONE which is jointly owned by Ørsted, the most sustainable energy company in the world, and Liquid Wind, the leading developer of eMethanol projects in Europe.
FlagshipONE, which is in late-stage development and approaching a final investment decision, will be the largest e-fuels facility in the world, producing 50,000 tonnes of eMethanol annually. This collaboration is supported by the Port of Gothenburg, the first shipping port to actively pursue a green fuels policy ensuring carbon neutral operations by 2030.
The announcement event was visited by the Swedish Minister for Energy and Digital Development Khashayar Farmanbar. The Minister welcomed the initiative as an important milestone for carbon neutral shipping. At the press meeting, he expressed an understanding of the need to support the introduction of green electrofuels for shipping and an ambition to find ways forward to financially support the green transition.
The five companies will now work together to launch the first renewable, 'Made in Sweden’ marine fuel, to encourage more companies to choose carbon neutral e-fuels. The commitment to e-fuels made by the pioneering shipping companies is proof of their ambition to catalyse the transition to carbon neutral shipping.
Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, comments:
"Being an industry leader within sustainability, Stena Line has the ambition to achieve a climate neutral operation. This partnership is yet another proof point of our dedication to reduce our carbon footprint. We cannot achieve this on our own – a strategic collaboration across the value chain will be a win-win for all stakeholders in this exciting project."
Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS, says:
"We are excited that customers, suppliers and competitors alike show commitment and collaborate to decarbonise our industry. With eMethanol from this partnership, DFDS is adding a new e-fuel possibility to deliver on our promise to operate a green vessel latest by 2025.”
Olivia Breese, Senior Vice President, Ørsted P2X, says:
"Ørsted is excited about the opportunity to support the Port of Gothenburg, DFDS and Stena Line in their ambition to decarbonise their marine operations by using green e-fuel to be produced at FlagshipONE in Sweden. We certainly appreciate the effort by all stakeholders to be present here today, and I'm very pleased that Ørsted can continue to lead the energy transition for the shipping sector."
Claes Fredriksson, CEO and Founder of Liquid Wind, comments:
"We are honoured to have the minister present here at the Port of Gothenburg, at this pivotal moment when the 5+ years of development work that Liquid Wind has put in, meets the reality of real customers, Stena Line and DFDS, leading to the conclusion of long-term agreements that will allow FlagshipONE to establish and construct the first full-scale electrofuel facility in Europe or perhaps even the world. The Minister's support for a large-scale introduction of electrofuels is encouraging going forward. We look forward to a continued constructive dialogue with the Government on how to ensure financial prerequisites for the production of green electrofuels in Sweden."
Elvir Dzanic, CEO of the Port of Gothenburg, comments:
"The Port of Gothenburg has set out to reduce CO2-emissions by 70% within the port area by 2030. This is an extremely important goal for us, but something we cannot achieve on our own. Therefore, we are delighted to have a supplier like Liquid Wind and committed ship owners like Stena Line and DFDS taking these ambitious steps that will make a huge difference towards achieving that goal."
About green e-fuels:
Green e-fuels are on track to replace fossil fuels for maritime propulsion for true decarbonisation in the hard-to-abate shipping sector. According to the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, eMethanol offers a number of advantages as marine fuel. It has more manageable handling requirements than other e-fuels and eMethanol engines are already commercially available. Despite clean, renewable sources of energy being a critically important component of global shipping’s decarbonisation efforts, the Center estimates that we’ll need additional support from other levers to fully realise the maritime industry’s zero-carbon ambitions.
Green electrofuel, eMethanol, is made from 100% biogenic sources combined with 100% renewable wind energy. It doesn’t add CO2 to the atmosphere. And it’s designed to help the world significantly reduce its carbon footprint.