Orsted abandons flagship e-methanol project
Danish firm takes $220m hit as it halts Europe’s largest project in setback for transition to green shipping fuels
Danish renewable energy company Orsted has halted construction of Europe’s largest synthetic methanol production project, citing the slower-than-expected development of Europe’s green fuels markets. The FlagshipONE project, based at Ornskoldsvik in northern Sweden, had been scheduled to start up in 2025, with initial output of 55,000t/yr of e-methanol produced from electrolytic hydrogen and biogenic CO₂. Orsted’s decision to abandon the project more than a year into its construction has resulted in it booking a DKK1.5bn ($220m) impairment loss. “The liquid e-fuel market in Europe is developing slower than expected, and we have taken the strategic decision to de-prioritise our efforts within

Also in this section
21 March 2025
European Hydrogen Bank auction is four times oversubscribed, while industry remains on pause in US amid IRA subsidy uncertainty
21 March 2025
The country is engaging with potential investors from North America and China as it refines its auction process to reflect shifting dynamics in green hydrogen, Hydrom’s managing director tells Hydrogen Economist
13 March 2025
Government awards €1.21b of funding to seven large-scale projects as it chases capacity target of 12GW by 2030
12 March 2025
Speakers at this year’s CERAWeek conference noted the growing interest in green hydrogen, but hurdles such as cost remain to its adoption at scale