NATIONAL PLANNING AGENCY APPROVES ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR CRI'S CO₂-TO-METHANOL PLANT

The National Planning Agency has approved Carbon Recycling International's environmental impact assessment for the CO₂-to-methanol plant in Svartsengi, Grindavik, Iceland. The plant meets all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The agency concludes that the plant will have negligible impact on the natural environment or local resources. In fact the plant's production activity, which involves recycling of carbon dioxide emissions to produce a substitute for fossil fuel, helps to protect the global climate.

CRI's renewable methanol plant was constructed in two phases. The first phase was commissioned in 2012 and the second phase, which tripled the plant's hydrogen and methanol production, was commissioned in 2015. From 2012-2014 the plant operated as an experimental facility. After production capacity was ramped up to 12 metric tons of methanol per day the Planning Agency requested a formal environmental impact assessment, as required by the Environmental Impact Assessment Act no. 106/2000.

The impact assessment was published in draft form in December 2016 and has been publicly available for review. Following thorough investigation and stakeholder comments by local municipalities and agencies, the Agency has concluded that CRI's plant fulfils all applicable criteria and no effluents or material is emitted by the process or left untreated which could potentially harm the environment.

"CRI's mission is to provide innovative technology which benefits and protects the environment. We welcome the Planning Agency's assessment which shows that our CO₂-to-methanol process fulfils the strictest legal and regulatory requirements," said Sindri Sindrason, Chief Executive of CRI.