Beaver Lake Renewable Energy, LLC (BLRE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SunGas Renewables, Inc., will build a new green methanol production facility in Central Louisiana’s Rapides Parish. The facility is predicted to generate nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol annually for marine fuel and create more than 100 permanent jobs. Construction on the $2 billion facility is scheduled for 2024 with commercial operations beginning in 2027.
BLRE will utilize wood fiber from local, sustainably managed forests to manufacture the green methanol while removing up to one million tons of carbon dioxide produced by the project every year.
"Using biomass from sustainably managed forestry along with carbon capture allows our project to generate green marine shipping fuel while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere. This new low-carbon marine fuel facility also helps strengthen communities and create sustainable economies right here in Rapides Parish, Louisiana," said Robert Rigdon, CEO of SunGas Renewables.
Due in part to a 2022 strategic partnership with SunGas Renewables, A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk), a shipping container company, is expected to purchase the green methanol produced at BLRE's facility to power their fleet of container vessels.
"This is helping Maersk to deliver valuable services to our customers and is aligned with our aim to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by 2040. Together, SunGas and Maersk are driving a much-needed transition in a heavy pollution industry," said Emma Mazhari, Head of Energy Markets at Maersk.
