Press Releases

Antwerp, Belgium

May 07, 2020

New Milestone in Sustainable Methanol Production in the Port of Antwerp

This week, a formal consortium with seven players called 'Power-to-Methanol Antwerp BV' was set up. Oiltanking is excited to be part of the joint venture and will continue contributing with our logistical knowledge regarding the handling, storage and transportation of methanol as well as other associated aspects. In this important next phase of the project, the consortium will be working on all the necessary steps to prepare for the expected construction of the demonstration plant.

ENGIE, Fluxys, Indaver, INOVYN, Port of Antwerp, PMV, the investment company of the Flemish Government, and Oiltanking have established a consortium for the sustainable production of methanol, an essential raw material used by industry in the port. Each partner brings its own knowledge, experience and expertise to the project.

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.

Scoop for Belgium: production of sustainable methanol

Methanol is an essential multi-purpose raw material for the chemical industry, with many applications in wider industry as well. 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.

Oiltanking GmbH is a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls, a Hamburg-based company that operates in the fields of supply, trading and logistics of energy & chemicals. Oiltanking is one of the largest independent tank storage providers for petroleum products, gases and chemicals worldwide. The company owns and operates 63 terminals in 23 countries within Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific including China and India. Oiltanking has an overall storage capacity of 20 million cbm.

For more information on the consortium members please visit: www.engie-electrabel.be, www.fluxys.com, www.indaver.be, www.inovyn.com, www.portofantwerp.com and www.vmh.be.

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