Green economy, Denmark opens Europe's largest e-methanol plant
A plant in Kassø to supply logistics giant Maersk with environmentally friendly fuel for its ships
2' min read
2' min read
In Denmark, Europe's largest e-methanol production plant went into operation. It was inaugurated in the city of Kassø and has an annual production capacity of 42 thousand tonnes, approximately 53 million litres. The plant will supply a significant share of its production to logistics giant Maersk, which aims to drastically reduce emissions from its fleet.
E-methanol is in fact a synthetic fuel with low emissions. Unlike conventional methanol, it is not derived from fossil sources such as gas or coal and is a possible solution for reducing marine pollution caused by shipping.
The International Maritime Organisation (Imo) has set the goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2050). This target was set in the Imo 2023 Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Ships, which was adopted at the Marine Environment Protection Committee session in July 2023.
The Danish initiative is a collaboration between the local company European energy and the Japanese company Mitsui.
Pollution from shipping is a problem
.The emission of greenhouse gases from ships is a problem because maritime transport is responsible for about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Ships mainly use heavy fuel oil, a highly polluting petroleum derivative, emitting high amounts of CO₂, sulphur oxides and fine particulate matter, which cause very serious damage to health and the environment.
