Dutch maritime bio-LNG project receives EU funding

FirstBio2Shipping, working with Attero BV and Bio-LNG Hub Wilp, has received funding from the European Commission to develop bio-LNG as a marine fuel.

The project aims to decarbonise the maritime sector by demonstrating the first industrial plant producing renewable, low-carbon bio-liquefied natural gas ‘in a standardised and scalable fashion’, enabling the cost-effective substitution of heavy fuel oil.

For the first time since the creation of the Innovation Fund, the EU is investing €118 million into 32 small, innovative projects in 14 EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway.

FirstBio2Shipping’s bio-LNG project was among 32 projects chosen for funding, evaluated by independent experts for their ability to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional technologies and to innovate beyond the state-of-the-art while being sufficiently mature to enable their quick deployment.

The plant, to be developed by FirstBio2Shipping and its partners, consists of a gas treatment unit, a bio-LNG polishing and storage unit and a carbon capture unit. At the core of the process is a novel technology called iLNG. This integrated system aims to overcome challenges such as low bio-LNG qualities, for example, those containing amines, high methane slip (due to CO₂ venting), high temperature demands in gas treatment technologies and high costs for the disposal of wastewater and toxic chemical waste.

The demonstration plant aims to produce 6 million Nm³ per year of biogas, 2,400 tons per year of biomethane and 5,000 tons per year of bio-CO₂. The project would reduce GHG emissions by 92% compared to a reference scenario.

Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the European Commission, commented: “With today’s investment, the EU is giving concrete support to clean tech projects all over Europe to scale up technological solutions that can help reach climate neutrality by 2050.

“The increase of the Innovation Fund proposed in the Fit for 55 Package will enable the EU to support even more projects in the future, speed them up, and bring them to the market as quickly as possible.”