Mabanaft to build new green methanol plant in Australia
Hamburg-based energy company Mabanaft has secured €12.4 million ($13.35 million) in funding from German project sponsors Projektträger Jülich to construct a new green methanol plant in Australia.
PHOTO: Vast's solar energy field. Vast
Mabanaft has partnered with Australian energy company Vast to build the green methanol plant SM1 in Port Augusta, South Australia.
The energy company plans to produce 7,500 mt/year of green methanol at the plant. Electricity generated from Vast’s concentrated solar thermal power (CPS) energy systems will power a 10 MW electrolyser, Mabanaft said.
Electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, is used by electrolysers to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then combined with captured carbon dioxide, typically sourced from industries, to produce syngas. This syngas later undergoes catalytic reactions to produce green methanol.
Methanol produced through this process is classified as green since it originates from electricity generated from renewable energy sources. However, the company has not specified from where the captured carbon dioxide will be sourced.
The plant is expected to be operational by 2027, Mabanaft said.
The government of Australia will also grant this project €11.9 million ($12.81 million) through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
“Solar [green] Methanol produced at plants like SM1 has the potential to make a huge difference to the transport sector as it urgently looks at ways to decarbonise its fuels,” said Vast’s chief executive officer Craig Wood.
The project is part of the German-Australian Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator (HyGATE).
By Aparupa Mazumder
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