Kassø e-methanol facility officially inaugurated

Developed by European Energy and operated in collaboration with Mitsui & Co., the facility is owned by Solar Park Kassø ApS under Kassø MidCo ApS, with European Energy A/S holding a 51% stake and Mitsui & Co. 49%.

The Kassø e-methanol facility is supplying e-methanol to industry leaders including A.P. Moller – Maersk, the LEGO Group, and Novo Nordisk. These companies have a shared ambition to adopt lower-carbon solutions.

The Kassø facility is the first of its kind globally to produce e-methanol at commercial scale. The plant has a production capacity of 42 000 tpy and operates entirely on renewable energy sources.

Situated next to Northern Europe’s largest solar park – the 304 MW Kassø Solar Park – the facility integrates large scale renewable power generation with carbon capture and utilisation. By combining biogenic CO2 with green hydrogen produced on-site, the Kassø e-methanol facility manufactures e-methanol with up to a 97% reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil-based products.

The project is designed to support the direct decarbonisation of sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify. A.P. Moller – Maersk will use e-methanol produced at Kassø to fuel Laura Mærsk, the world’s first container vessel capable of operating on methanol. E-methanol from the facility will also be used in industrial processes where fossil-based methanol has traditionally been standard. One such application is in plastics, where manufacturers aim to adopt more sustainable materials while maintaining safety and quality standards. The LEGO Group and Novo Nordisk are also offtakers of e-methanol from Kassø, using it to replace fossil methanol in the production of selected products.

Mitsui & Co. has contributed strategic expertise and global reach to support the facility’s long-term development and operation. The collaboration between European Energy and Mitsui reflects a shared ambition to accelerate commercial pathways for power-to-x technologies and expand the use of low-emission alternatives in hard-to-abate sectors globally.

Knud Erik Andersen, CEO of European Energy, said: “The start of operations at Kassø marks a major step forward in bringing power-to-x technologies into real-world use. This is renewable energy in action, transforming how we use electricity.”

Takashi Furutani, Senior Executive Managing Officer at Mitsui & Co., stated: “We are honoured to play a pivotal role in advancing this pioneering project, which fosters integrated approaches across product value chains as part of our Global Energy Transition strategy. Kassø exemplifies the importance of international collaboration in scaling low-emission solutions.”

Rabab Raafat Boulos, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at A.P. Moller – Maersk, added: “We are excited to receive the first e-methanol from the Kassø facility, marking an important milestone in our global efforts to source alternative fuels for our vessel fleet. The future of shipping must include multiple fuel types operating alongside each other, with methanol playing a key role in the industry’s net-zero ambitions.”

Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operations Officer at the LEGO Group, commented: “Sourcing renewable e-methanol is part of our ambition to make LEGO^® products more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions. Later this year, we will use the material to produce select LEGO elements—such as cross axles and connectors—while maintaining our high standards of safety, durability, and quality. This partnership is a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation across industries can accelerate meaningful progress.”

Dorethe Nielsen, VP Corporate Environmental Strategy, Novo Nordisk, concluded: “This partnership enables us to take practical steps in decarbonising our supply chain and reducing the environmental impact of our products.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/14052025/kass-e-methanol-facility-officially-inaugurated/