Decarbonization of European shipping sector with synthetic methanol (POSEIDON)

The overall goal of the POSEIDON project is to demonstrate the use of synthetic methanol for the decarbonization of the shipping sector. The project will prepare the implementation of local value chains based on e-methanol as fuel for shipping in the ports of Valencia, Spain and Thessaloniki, Greece. This will be achieved by connecting local stakeholders and collecting requirements through the formation of locally organized groups of people who collaborate regularly (so called Communities of Practice) and by building a performant power-to-e-methanol demonstration plant based on a novel concept including CO₂ capture and production of e-methanol. This plant will be tested in relevant operational environments and the produced e-methanol will be used in 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines to evaluate the fuel quality and compatibility.

Detailed technical, economic, environmental, and social assessments will be performed to quantify the economic value created under different scenarios and to identify potential barriers and optimisation potentials. To pave the way for market uptake and future deployment of e-methanol in the EU, local roadmaps and a replication tool to evaluate the feasibility of deployment of e-methanol in EU ports will be developed, so that external EU stakeholders can make use of the results of POSEIDON.

An important aspect of the project will be to foster public acceptance by raising awareness of the benefits of new renewable fuels for shipping, in particular methanol. Project partners plan to regularly share project activities, progress and achievements with academia, industry, policy makers and other relevant stakeholders.

POSEIDON as a driver of fossil fuels removal and decarbonization of EU shipping industry

POSEIDON will help decrease the dependence on fossil fuels which will make the EU less subject to economic and political pressures in line with the REPowerEU plan. The project will contribute to mainstream synthetic methanol as fuel in EU ports and the associated key technologies such as e-methanol production plants and engines for ships. Several players positioned all along the value chain such as industrial feedstock providers, engineering companies specialised in renewable synthetic fuels, ports, project developers, engine manufacturers and ship builders are expected to benefit from the growing e-methanol market. Furthermore, the steady implementation of e-methanol based value chains across EU will contribute to the decarbonization of EU ports and shipping. The new methods, tools and results produced by POSEIDON will be shared with the scientific and research community and EU citizens to respectively promote innovation and raise awareness of benefits of synthetic fuels for clean shipping.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum helps EIFER with the  project management and is responsible for communication, dissemination and exploitation of the project results.

POSEIDON is coordinated by European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER). It consists of 19 partners from 7 European countries and is receiving funding from the European Union’s research and innovation programme under grant agreement 101117616. Activities of Swiss project partner WinGD are co-funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)

Further informations:

• Funding: European Commission, Horizon Europe
• Funding budget for all partners: 9.7 million euros
• Project duration: 09/2023 – 08/2027
• Participating countries: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland