Lake Charles Methanol is planning a blue methanol production plant in the US
The company has not specifically earmarked any portion of the production capacity for shipping as of now, “but significant volumes are available,” to cater demand from various sectors, including maritime, Lake Charles Methanol's spokesperson told ENGINE.
PHOTO: Aerial view of Lake Charles port. Port of Lake Charles
Lake Charles Methanol, a US based methanol producer, will construct a 3.6 million mt/year blue methanol production plant in the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana, US. The Port of Lake Charles is a deepwater seaport on the eastern bank of Lake Charles.
The proposed plant will use auto thermal gas reforming process coupled with carbon capture technology to produce blue methanol from natural gas. The hydrogen feedstock used for the methanol production will be produced using renewable energy, it confirmed on its website.
Auto thermal reforming is a process that combines natural gas and hydrogen to produce synthetic gas (syngas) through partial oxidation and steam reforming.
Since blue methanol uses carbon capture during production, its well-to-tank CO2 emissions can be significantly lower than grey methanol or fossil marine fuels. However, the fossil component of natural gas means that it cannot be classified as a green fuel. Additionally, methane emissions produced during extraction, processing, and transportation of natural gas can increase the fuel’s overall well-to-wake footprint.
Around 1 million mt/year of carbon dioxide (CO2) is expected to be captured and sequestered during the production process, according to Lake Charles Methanol. The captured CO2 will be permanently stored underground by a third party, the spokesperson added.
The company has not yet allocated any of its capacity to the shipping sector as of now, but “there is strong interest in low carbon from all industrial sectors including shipping,” the spokesperson said.
Construction and commissioning of the facility are expected to start in 2024, and plant operations are expected to begin in late 2027.
By Konica Bhatt
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