By Our Correspondent
Maersk is seeking to set up a green methanol production site in Spain by 2030. The projected amount to be produced by this facility is around 2mn tonnes per year, according to FleetMon.
It stated: “Maersk signed a general protocol of collaboration with the Spanish government to explore the possibility of setting up large-scale methanol production plants in the ports of Andalusia and Galicia.
“The agreement for this endeavor was signed between Maersk CEO Søren Skou and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on November 3rd. The Spanish government stated that this venture would require an investment of around 10 billion euros and would create nearly 85,000 jobs. Work on the project is set to start in the second half of 2024.
“Maersk already has 19 e-methanol ships that are to enter the market in the time between 2023 and 2025. Operating these ships would require around 750,000 tonnes of fuel.
“The development of this project is to be executed in three phases. In the first phase, the facility will aim to produce 200,000 tonnes of methanol per year by 2025. In the second phase, the production will be ramped up to 1 million tonnes per year by 2027, and finally, in the third phase, the production will be increased to 2 million tonnes per year by 2030.
“Maersk has stated that to achieve their 2030 emission goals they will require around 6 million tonnes of methanol per year. This number is to grow significantly for their 2040 net zero goal.”