The German provider of tech for synthetic methane production and the Swedish shipping line have entered off-take negotiations.

The talks concern e-methane production by Electrochaea's Danish subsidiary, BioCAT Roslev, which is working on establishing a power-to-gas facility in the municipality of Skive.

There, renewable wind power will be used to produce green hydrogen that will be mixed with the CO2 from biogas production at Rybjerg Biogas in a bioreactor to produce e-methane using Electrochaea's patented bio-methanation technology.

Erik Thun plans to use Electrochaea's RFNBO-compliant e-methane to replace liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine bunker.

Johan Källsson, Managing Director of Erik Thun, commented:

Walking the path to carbon neutrality poses enormous challenges. At Erik Thun, we are steadfast in our commitment to lead this transition by integrating renewable fuels into our operations. Currently, we are actively exploring different alternatives.

He furthered:

For our vessels running on LNG, e-methane is emerging as a cleaner option. We are proud of this collaboration and that we are pioneering the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable e-methane, awaiting to be officially recognized by the [Swedish] government as a cleaner alternative. Our commitment extends to the construction, maintenance and operation of vessels with advanced designs and a minimal carbon footprint. To create sustainable options that can pass a proper life-cycle analysis, much cleaner e-fuels are needed.

Doris Hafenbradl, Electrochaea's CTO and Managing Director, added:

E-methane can play a vital role in decarbonizing the maritime industry and both Electrochaea and Biocat Roslev are pleased to negotiate off-take of e-methane with one of the most sustainable and visionary shipping companies. The maritime industry is an important marketplace for the e-methane produced with our bio-methanation technology, which is further supported by the interest from Erik Thun.

Photo: Electrochaea