Carbon capture solution company Carbon Clean has achieved a fabrication milestone on Ørsted’s FlagshipONE project, Europe’s largest commercial-scale eMethanol facility under construction.
The first equipment has been mounted on the structural steel of the first module, marking the start of the module assembly process. Once operational, Carbon Clean’s technology will be capable of capturing 70,000t of biogenic CO2 per year for Ørsted’s facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Carbon Clean’s CaptureX semi-modular technology for this project is being fabricated at Schwartz Hautmont’s site at the Port of Tarragona in Vila-seca, Spain.
FlagshipONE will be Ørsted’s largest commercial-scale Power-to-X facility and Europe’s largest eMethanol plant, and is expected to be operational in 2025. It will supply up to 55,000tonnes of eMethanol per year to the shipping industry, which today accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions.
Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO Carbon Clean, said: “This fabrication milestone underscores how Carbon Clean is on track with delivery for this pioneering eFuel project. The complexity and scale of the challenge is huge, and the Carbon Clean team continues to deliver in a timely manner against targets, with an unwavering commitment to technical excellence. Carbon capture technology is essential in decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, such as shipping, but it also brings economic benefits through the development of local supply chains.”
FlagshipONE was developed by Liquid Wind, which has plans for several additional plants in the Nordic countries. In February 2024, Liquid Wind together with Alfa Laval, Carbon Clean, Siemens Energy and Topsoe opened an eFuel Design and Performance Centre (DPC) in Hørsholm, Denmark. By leveraging partners’ technologies and modular solutions, the DPC will deliver ready-to-build eMethanol plants that are said to be quicker to fabricate, transport, construct and commission.
Carbon emissions from shipping have proven hard-to-abate, but eMethanol is considered a scalable green shipping fuel for the next decade. When used as marine fuel, eMethanol reduces carbon emissions by 94% compared to current fossil fuels.
Image: The first CCS equipment being mounted for FlagshipONE (source: Carbon Clean)
