COMMERCIAL-SCALE ETL PLANT UNDER DEVELOPMENT IN NORWAY
CRI is excited to announce the joint development of a commercial e-methanol project in northern Norway in partnership with leading renewable energy and industrial companies Statkraft and Finnfjord. With a planned production capacity of 100.000 tons per year it represents the largest e-fuels project announced to date.
The plant will use as raw material CO₂ captured from the emissions of the Finnfjord ferrosilicon plant and hydrogen generated from the electrolysis of water using renewable electricity. The production process will be based on CRI’s Emissions-to-Liquids (ETL) technology.
The Finnfjord ferrosilicon plant, located in Troms and Finnmark county, Norway, has an installed production capacity of 100.000 tons per year. It is one of the most energy-efficient ferrosilicon plants in the world and has a stated goal of becoming the first facility of its kind to achieve carbon neutrality. The partners now seek to capture and convert more than half of its emissions into methanol for fuel and chemical applications.
In addition to the e-methanol plant project, Finnfjord is also developing plans to use its CO₂ to produce up to 75.000 tons of algae biomass. The plan to capture and ultimately re-use 300.000 tons per year of carbon dioxide from the process will reduce emissions equivalent to the permanent removal of over 100.000 fossil-fueled cars from the roads. The co-siting of these carbon utilisation projects at the Finnfjord site brings additional benefits through shared infrastructure and efficient energy utilisation, supporting industrial innovation and sustainable economic development.
Finnfjord industry park concept
The project partners aim to reach an investment decision by the end of 2021 and project construction is expected to take around two years. As Europe’s first commercial-scale production of liquid e-fuel from CO₂ emissions, the project’s execution will represent a pivotal milestone in the transition from a linear to circular economy.
„Following more than 12 years of technology development and demonstration we are excited to take the next steps in developing a commercial e-methanol project at Finnfjord based on our ETL technology. With our existing industrial plant in Iceland, we have already proven that producing renewable liquid fuel and chemical feedstock from CO2 is possible. Along with our Norwegian partners, Statkraft and Finnfjord, we believe now is the right time to make the investments needed to realize the circular economy by increasing the use of renewable energy and reduce CO₂ emissions from the industry and transportation sectors.“ – Ingólfur Guðmundsson, CEO of CRI
More information about the planned Finnfjord e-methanol plant is available on Statkraft’s website and in Norwegian media Tekniske Ukeblad
About the partner companies:
Statkraft AS is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. The Group produces hydropower, wind power, solar power, gas-fired power and supplies district heating. Statkraft is a global company in energy market operations. Statkraft has 4,000 employees in 17 countries.
Finnfjord AS is one of world’s most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly producer of ferrosilicon. Finnfjord has 3 electrical reduction furnaces - with a total production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of ferrosilicon. In addition, Finnfjord has an energy recovery system with a capacity to generate around 340 GWh of electric power. Finnfjord has 130 employees and total sales of 1 billion NOK
