Uniper becomes a partner in the Swedish company Liquid Wind, which develops electro-fuel based on hydrogen to enable carbon neutral shipping. Uniper will be the second largest investor in the company, which is now in the process of developing their first eMethanol production facility in Örnsköldsvik, on the north east coast of Sweden.
The facility will produce 50,000 tons of eMethanol per year, using fossil-free wind power and captured, biogenic carbon dioxide. It´s ideally suited to enable carbon neutral shipping, and will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 100,000 tons/year, once in operation from late 2023/early 2024.
Claes Fredriksson, CEO and Founder, Liquid Wind:
Demand for cleaner shipping fuel is growing, and we aim to develop and build 500 facilities by 2050.
“This will prevent the release of an additional 50 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, which is the equivalent of Sweden’s total annual emissions”
Electro-fuel based on hydrogen is a rapidly growing opportunity, that in short is about producing liquid, fossil-free fuel with the help of renewable electricity. Uniper is a leading player in Europe when it comes to hydrogen and has several projects under development in Sweden, in addition to their operational facilities in Germany.
Johan Svenningsson, CEO, Uniper Sweden:
Our strong expertise within hydrogen will be beneficial for Liquid Wind, at the same time we will also gain knowledge and experience in electro-fuels.
“Sweden is facing a new energy evolution, and Uniper plans to support the transition to a carbon neutral society whilst at the same time developing the industry’s competitiveness”
“Within 30 years, we need to increase electricity production by up to 100 Terawatt-hours, that development is driven by, among other things, eFuels. Liquid Wind has a strong business model and Uniper plans to take a central position in the distribution of eMethanol”, Johan Svenningsson explains.
The transport sector is a major source of emissions and needs to become fossil-free. Liquid Wind will primarily focus on shipping and heavy transport, where there is a large need for fossil free, liquid fuel. This is where electro-fuels such as eMethanol will play an important role in the future.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Uniper and gain the support of their broad and deep knowledge. We are looking forward to working closely with them and identifying further areas where together we can create more value and enable a faster transition to a fossil-free world” says Claes Fredriksson, CEO and Founder of Liquid Wind.
Uniper becomes a partner in Liquid Wind – investing in hydrogen and electro-fuel, Mar 10 2021
