Green methanol supply slated for Jebel Ali

Another green methanol fuel site is set to open at a key maritime gateway. Averda, a waste management, treatment and recycling company, and WasteFuel, a developer of bio-refineries, announced yesterday during the COP27 climate conference, their partnership to develop the first commercial scale municipal waste to renewable methanol plant in the Middle East.

The location for the first plant is likely to be in Jebel Ali, the premier port in the United Arab Emirates. The plant will produce renewable methanol for shipping from unrecyclable waste currently being collected and disposed of by Averda.

“Addressing the climate emergency requires an exponential increase in renewable fuel supply. The Middle East, specifically Jebel Ali, is considered a gateway between the Western Hemisphere and the Far East. As WasteFuel works to produce green methanol to decarbonise shipping at scale, the opportunity to develop a biorefinery in partnership with Averda in the Middle East was an exciting and logical next step,” said Trevor Neilson, the CEO of WasteFuel.

Many of the world’s largest shipping companies, including COSCO, Maersk and Pacific Basin, have come out as methanol backers in recent months with attention now turning to swiftly build up a global network of supplies at major ports.