MAN Energy Solutions has completed the construction of the methanol-synthesis unit for a pilot plant in southern Chile to produce synthetic fuels known as eFuels. The methanol-synthesis unit uses Johnson Matthey’s proprietary carbon dioxide (CO2)-to-methanol technology. Commissioning is scheduled for fall 2022, at which time the plant will produce up to 750 metric tons per year of green methanol annually driven by wind power, much of which will be later converted into carbon-neutral gasoline.
The eFuels plant, Haru Oni, is currently under construction by Chilean company HIF, in cooperation with Siemens Energy and other project partners near the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas. The client is Porsche AG.
Porsche initially intends to use the generated eFuels in several lighthouse projects, among others in motor sports and its Porsche Experience Centers. At first, the pilot phase will generate around 130,000 liters of eFuels with capacity gradually increasing into an industrial scale by the middle of the decade.
“Sustainably produced, synthetic fuels are indispensable on the road toward a climate-neutral future and we have many years of experience in manufacturing reactor systems for their production,” said Norbert Anger, site manager at MAN Energy Solutions in Deggendorf, Germany. “Climate-neutral methanol will especially play an important role in the future as a fuel within the shipping segment, so we are pleased to be able to demonstrate our expertise in methanol synthesis in this project.”
