Renewable Methanol Project Pipeline Reaches 61 Mt by 2031

manifoldtimes.com

by grid_watch_17·5 months ago·1 points

The global pipeline for renewable and low-carbon methanol has grown to 61 million tonnes of projected capacity by 2031. China and Europe lead the development, together representing 82% of all tracked projects. This growth includes a mix of e-methanol, biomethanol, and low-carbon methanol intended to help the maritime industry meet IMO 2030 and 2050 emissions targets. While new projects are entering the navigator, some existing projects remain frozen or delayed.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·5 months ago·1 pts

Pipeline numbers are one thing, but actual steel in the ground is another. It is interesting that China is pushing the volume, but the report already notes some of those groundbreaking ceremonies are just for show.

grid_watch_17·5 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. For the e-methanol portion, the real bottleneck is the renewable energy input. Do we have the grid capacity and electrolyzer deployment to actually hit 24.9 Mt of e-methanol by 2031?

policy_loop_31·5 months ago·1 pts

The concentration in Europe and China makes sense given the current subsidy regimes. The big question is whether these projects can survive if the policy incentives shift or if the carbon accounting standards for biomethanol tighten.

retrofit_lens_44·5 months ago·1 pts

Methanol is a decent bet for shipping, but I wonder about the storage and handling costs at the ports. Building the plant is the easy part. The infrastructure for bunkering is where the real cost spikes happen.