May 2020
Milestone in Sustainable Methanol Production in the Port of Antwerp
ENGIE, Fluxys, Indaver, INOVYN, Port of Antwerp, PMV, the investment company of the Flemish Government, and Oiltanking have established a consortium called 'Power-to-Methanol Antwerp BV' for the sustainable production of methanol, an essential raw material used by industry in the port. Oiltanking as part of the joint venture will continue contributing with logistical knowledge regarding the handling, storage and transportation of methanol as well as other associated aspects. The construction of a demonstration plant at the INOVYN site in Antwerp is scheduled to start by 2022, with the aim of producing 8,000 tons of sustainable methanol annually, thus avoiding at least an equivalent volume of CO2 emissions.
Methanol is an essential multi-purpose raw material for the chemical industry. This key raw material is indispensable to the daily operation of the port of Antwerp as the largest European integrated energy and chemical cluster. Currently, methanol is produced using fossil raw materials. The 'Power-to-Methanol' project aims to replace this with sustainably produced methanol, a first for Belgium. This methanol will be produced from captured CO2 and sustainably generated hydrogen. The carbon dioxide is captured by means of Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), through which CO2 emissions are partially recovered and then combined with hydrogen generated on the basis of green energy produced from renewable electricity.