- The facility will convert 360,000 tons of waste into 220,000 tons of bio-methanol annually.
- The project aims to take the final investment decision (FID) later in 2019.
- The plant will be built in the Botlek area of the Port of Rotterdam.
- The project is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy.
Project Overview
A consortium of leading companies, including Air Liquide, Nouryon, Enerkem, and the Port of Rotterdam, has announced that Shell will join as an equal equity partner in Europe’s first advanced waste-to-chemicals (W2C) facility in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This facility will convert non-recyclable waste materials into valuable chemicals and bio-fuels.
Sustainable Growth
The project aligns with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and other environmental initiatives, creating an ideal environment for sustainable growth through innovation. The consortium has already undertaken extensive preparatory work, including detailed engineering and the permitting process, and aims to take the final investment decision (FID) later in 2019.
Key Figures
The planned facility will convert up to 360,000 tons of waste into 220,000 tons (270 million litres) of bio-methanol annually. This represents the total annual waste of more than 700,000 households and is estimated to save about 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to methanol production from fossil fuels.
Support and Location
The project is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, the City of Rotterdam, the Province of Zuid-Holland, and InnovationQuarter. The facility will be built within the Botlek area of the Port of Rotterdam using Enerkem’s proprietary technology, converting non-recyclable mixed waste, including plastics, into syngas and then into clean methanol.
Infrastructure and Output
The plant will have two production lines, doubling the input capacity of Enerkem’s commercial plant in Edmonton, Canada. It will benefit from the state-of-the-art infrastructure within the Port of Rotterdam and synergies with Air Liquide for oxygen supply and Nouryon for hydrogen raw material. The sustainable methanol output will be purchased by Nouryon and Shell.
