Capwatt Chooses Sumitomo SHI FW for Mangualde Renewable Methanol Project

Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) has entered into a contract with Capwatt to offer Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) services for an innovative syngas production facility, which is a crucial component of the pioneering Mangualde Renewable Methanol initiative in Portugal.

The goal of this endeavor is to construct an advanced biorefinery with the capacity to annually generate 80,000 tons of renewable methanol. This will be achieved by harnessing locally available biomass residues and renewable electricity sourced from a neighboring photovoltaic (PV) solar park.

At the heart of the facility, there will be a sophisticated SFW gasification unit engineered to convert the carbon present in biogenic residues into syngas. This syngas will subsequently be integrated with green hydrogen, produced through electrolysis, during the methanol synthesis stage.

Renewable methanol, a versatile foundational chemical, is poised to emerge as a key element in forthcoming carbon management strategies for the transportation and chemical sectors alike. Its potential applications are extensive, ranging from serving as eco-friendly fuel for shipping to being transformed into sustainable aviation fuel, plastics, and various other critical chemicals.

With global Net Zero objectives fueling the need for renewable methanol, production must escalate from its current zero levels to an estimated 400 million tons annually by 2050.

" Capwatt's confidence in our gasification technology brings us great joy, serving as a testament to over forty years of dedicated development. SFW has successfully demonstrated this technology in biomass-to-liquids applications, and we're excited to assist Capwatt in establishing Portugal's inaugural industrial renewable methanol plant," stated Frank Ligthart, Vice President of Circular Carbon at SFW.

The initiation of the FEED process signifies a crucial step toward our ultimate investment determination. The Mangualde facility will generate ample renewable methanol to power two sizable container ships, showcasing the considerable opportunity within a global fleet of 8,000 such vessels. Jorge Matos, COO of Renewable Fuels at Capwatt, emphasizes that Capwatt's vision extends beyond this singular project; their ambition is to establish a network of renewable methanol plants.

SFW's extensive package encompasses the oxy-steam fluidized bed gasifier, syngas cooler, hot gas filter, tar reformer, and final syngas scrubber. The FEED process is slated for completion in 2024, paving the way for project initiation in Q2/2025. Production of renewable methanol at the plant is projected to commence by late 2026, representing a notable advancement in the pursuit of sustainable transportation fuels.

Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW) is an international leader in offering solutions and services aimed at advancing the decarbonization of energy worldwide. SFW's offerings encompass a diverse range, from biomass and waste-to-energy solutions to long-term energy storage, waste recycling into valuable resources, carbon capture technologies, flue gas purification systems, waste heat recovery boilers, and a suite of accompanying services geared towards digitizing, optimizing, and reducing carbon footprint across assets delivered to global power and industrial sectors.