The world’s first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility commissioned in Denmark

• The Kassø e-methanol facility in Aabenraa, Denmark, has been officially inaugurated and is now supplying e-methanol to off-takers.
• Developed by European Energy and operated in collaboration with Mitsui & Co., the facility is owned by Solar Park Kassø ApS under Kassø MidCo ApS, with European Energy A/S holding a 51% stake and Mitsui & Co. 49%.

The Kassø e-methanol facility is supplying e-methanol to industry leaders including A.P. Moller – Maersk, the LEGO Group, and Novo Nordisk. These companies have a shared  ambition to adopt lower-carbon solutions.

The Kassø facility is the first of its kind globally to produce e-methanol at commercial scale. The plant has an annual production capacity of 42,000 tonnes and operates entirely on renewable energy sources.

Situated next to Northern Europe’s largest solar park—the 304 MW Kassø Solar Park—the facility integrates large-scale renewable power generation with carbon capture and utilisation. By combining biogenic CO₂ with green hydrogen produced on-site, the Kassø e-methanol facility manufactures e-methanol with up to a 97% reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil-based products.

The project is designed to support the direct decarbonisation of sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify. A.P. Moller – Maersk will use e-methanol produced at Kassø to fuel Laura Mærsk, the world’s first container vessel capable of operating on methanol. E-methanol from the facility will also be used in industrial processes where fossil-based methanol has traditionally been standard. One such application is in plastics, where manufacturers aim to adopt more sustainable materials while maintaining safety and quality standards. The LEGO Group and Novo Nordisk are also offtakers of e-methanol from Kassø, using it to replace fossil methanol in the production of selected products.

Mitsui & Co. has contributed strategic expertise and global reach to support the facility’s long-term development and operation. The collaboration between European Energy and Mitsui reflects a shared ambition to accelerate commercial pathways for Power-to-X technologies and expand the use of low-emission alternatives in hard-to-abate sectors globally.

Author: Bryan Groenendaal