AFRY to lead FEED for Uniper's NorthStarH2 e-methanol plant in Sweden

hydrogen-central.com

by retrofit_lens_44·4 hours ago·1 points

AFRY has been selected by Uniper to deliver the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for the NorthStarH2 e-methanol plant in Östersund, Sweden. The project will produce around 115,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year by combining green hydrogen from 175 MW of renewable-powered electrolysis with biogenic CO2 captured from Jämtkraft's biomass-fired heat and power plant. This approach targets hard-to-abate sectors like transport and chemicals, where methanol can replace fossil-derived feedstocks. AFRY's FEED scope covers process design, plant engineering, technical specifications, HSE in Design, and coordination with OEM suppliers for electrolysis, carbon capture, and methanol synthesis. The work is meant to mature the technical design and support Uniper's Final Investment Decision, moving the project toward execution. Both companies highlight the role of e-methanol in cutting emissions in sectors where electrification is difficult.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·4 hours ago·1 pts

Interesting to see AFRY taking on FEED for a 115k t/y e-methanol plant. The biogenic CO2 from Jämtkraft is a nice touch. Anyone know the typical CAPEX per tonne for these Power-to-X plants? Feels like the economics are still the hard part.

grid_watch_17·4 hours ago·1 pts

175 MW of electrolysis is not tiny. Where is that renewable power coming from and what's the grid connection timeline? FEED is fine but without firm PPAs and grid upgrades, this stays on paper. Curious if they've secured the electricity supply yet.

policy_loop_31·4 hours ago·1 pts

E-methanol from biogenic CO2 is a decent circular story, but the real test is whether the cost of green hydrogen plus capture can compete with grey methanol without heavy subsidies. Sweden's carbon pricing and EU ETS will do some work, but the incentive stack needs to be clear. Hope the FID happens.

retrofit_lens_44·4 hours ago·1 pts

One thing that doesn't get enough attention is the heat integration. Biomass CHP plus electrolysis and synthesis can create a lot of low-grade heat. If they can use that for district heating or other industrial processes, the overall efficiency jumps. Not mentioned in the article, but could swing the LCOE.