The Danish shipping company Maersk is already relying heavily on methanol. Not only has the company already put the first methanol-powered container ship into operation, but it has also ordered over 20 more such ships. And as demand increases, so does the production of green methanol.
The world's first commercial plant for the production of green e-methanol started production in Kassø in southern Denmark at the beginning of 2025, aiming to produce 35,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year.
In Anyang, China, CO2 methanol has been produced on a commercial scale for over two years now. Up to 110,000 tonnes of liquid methanol per year are produced here from carbon dioxide, which is recovered from the existing emissions from lime production.
In Germany, green methanol has been produced in a pilot plant since November 2023. Although this plant is smaller than those in Denmark and China, the production process is considered to be particularly cost-efficient.
While the development of green methanol solutions is important, we recognise that there will not be just one single solution for environmentally friendly ship propulsion systems in the future. Instead, various solutions based on renewable energies – including our mtu methanol engines – are needed.