Northern Ireland advances its use of green methanol

Led by Larne-based B9 Energy Storage, the Maritime Power-to-X initiative is exploring scalable green methanol as a zero-emission fuel for the shipping industry.

“Green methanol has the power to transform global shipping. Maritime Power-to-X is the most unique project of its kind, combining maritime and energy expertise to scale up zero-emission technology and make truly net zero shipping corridors a reality,” said David Surplus OBE, managing director, B9 Energy Storage.

Circular economy

The project’s innovative solution involves producing green methanol at the Port of Larne from green hydrogen and capturing CO2 onboard ferries. This CO2 is returned to the port, creating a circular economy model that avoids future green CO2 supply constraints.

This project aligns with the International Maritime Organization’s goal of making scalable zero-emission fuels like green methanol account for 5 to 10% of shipping fuels by 2030, with the industry aiming for full net zero by 2050.

Despite being off target at the moment, the maritime sector is still pushing forward with soe impressive decarbonisation efforts.

Global infrastructure consultancy AECOM has been appointed to provide technical, planning and environmental services for the project, with a focus on landside infrastructure at the ferry port.

The project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, funded by the UK Department for Transport.