Topsoe to Provide Technology for e-Methanol Project in Galicia, Spain

December 05, 2024

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Ulrik Frøhlke (Topsoe) • Topsoe to provide e-Methanol synthesis technology and engineering support for Forestal del Atlántico’s Triskelion project, located in Galicia, Spain.

Final investment decision (FID) for the project is expected in June 2025, and first operation is planned for January 2028.
The Triskelion project will produce 40,000 tons of e-Methanol annually, while capturing and using c. 56,000 tons of CO2. The e-Methanol is intended for applications in the shipping and chemicals industries.
When the project is in full operation, it will expectedly enable an annual emission avoidance of app. 860,000 tons of CO2e – the equivalent of avoiding the emissions of approximately 200.000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for a year.

Topsoe, a global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies, has been chosen as a technology provider and engineering partner for the Triskelion project, located in Galicia, Spain.

The project, owned by the Spanish shipping and chemicals company Forestal del Atlántico, was a recipient of a EUR 49m grant from the EU Innovation Fund in 2023.

Due to its inherent versatility, e-Methanol offers multiple pathways for decarbonization across industries, particularly as a fuel in industrial transport such as international shipping, and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) targets for include e-Methanol to make up 8% of global shipping fuel demand by 20301. Spain has proved ambitious in renewable fuels applications, as the country has set a target of 74% of hydrogen used by industry in 2030 has to be green. This compares the 42% agreed by EU member states in the Renewable Energy Directive2.

Kim Hedegaard, CEO Power-to-X at Topsoe, said:
“We are excited to be selected as the technology provider for this promising project. e-Methanol will act as a key driver in decarbonizing the energy-intensive sectors and may be one of the leading e-fuels used in reducing carbon emissions in industries such as international shipping. Topsoe and Forestal del Atlántico have a shared ambition to make the Triskelion project a European leader in this space, and we look forward to working together to turning these ambitions into reality.”

Andrés Fuentes, CEO at Forestal del Atlántico, said:
“For Forestal del Atlántico it is very important to have leading technology suppliers for the development of a project as innovative as Triskelion and Topsoe is a guarantee of the highest level to successfully develop and decarbonize our company, after more than 30 years using methanol of fossil origin for our production processes as well as distributing it in the market. This agreement makes that goal much closer.”

Topsoe will provide its e-Methanol reactor and catalyst technologies, as well as engineering support to Triskelion – a core element of the project’s functionality and a key enabler for its e-Methanol production targets.

Once operational, the plant will produce 40,000 tons of e-Methanol, while capturing and using c. 56,000 tons of CO2 annually. The e-Methanol produced is initially intended for bunkering, transportation, and applications in the chemicals industries.

Facts about the Triskelion e-Methanol plant

The plant has received a EUR 49m grant from the European Union Emissions Trading System’s Innovation Fund in 2023.
Location: Mugardos, Galicia, Spain.
Output: The plant is designed to produce 40,000 tons of e-Methanol and will capture and use c. 56,000 tons of CO2 each year to produce the e-Methanol.
Power input: To be supplied from renewable sources through Power Purchased Agreements (PPAs), ensuring renewable and continuous power supply during the 8,000 hours/year of operation.
Anticipated entry into operation: January 2028.

About Forestal del Atlántico
Headquartered in Galicia, Spain, and established in 1977, Forestal del Atlántico provides sustainable glue and resin manufacturing, storage terminal, power generation, environmental activity, solid ports and chemical distribution services for the chemical and energy sectors.

About Topsoe
Topsoe is a leading global provider of technology and solutions for the energy transition. We combat climate change by helping our customers and partners achieve their decarbonization and emission reduction goals. 

Based on decades of scientific research and innovation, we offer world-leading solutions for transforming renewable resources into fuels and chemicals for a sustainable world, and for efficient and low-carbon fuel production and clean air.

We were founded in 1940 and are headquartered in Denmark, with over 2,800 employees serving customers all around the globe. To learn more, visit www.topsoe.com. READ MORE