Gidara Energy to open biofuel plant at Port of Amsterdam
The Dutch technology-based energy company turns non-recyclable waste into advanced biofuel. Its new plant will open in 2023, complementing the Port of Amsterdam’s green energy goals.
Gidara Energy to open advanced biofuel factory at Port of Amsterdam
Dutch technology-based energy company Gidara Energy is opening its first advanced biofuel facility at the Port of Amsterdam. The plant will convert non-recyclable waste into advanced methanol to be used for fuel blending. The Advanced Methanol Amsterdam plant, expected to open in 2023, will produce approximately 87.5 KTA (kilotons per annum) of renewable methanol a year. This is equivalent to the waste from 290,000 households that would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.
Wim van der Zande, CEO at Gidara Energy, said: “We are in a unique position owning a proven gasification process with a track-record for this application, which eliminates any major process or technology risks. We purposely selected this plant’s capacity and configuration because of the experiences in operated facilities, matching local feedstock availability and local blending capacity. Our focus is to establish the facility and use the same configuration at future locations in the Netherlands, Europe and North America.”
The AMA facility will be built in the BioPark, an industrial location in the Port of Amsterdam especially for producers of renewable fuels. Gidara’s site will include a knowledge centre for testing as well as the commercial-scale plant.
Sustainable logistics hub
The move is part of the Port of Amsterdam’s energy transition, which includes using more sustainable sources of fuel, achieving lower emissions and maximising recycling. The Port of Amsterdam is also the only port in the world that has committed to stop handling coal by 2030.
In other recent news on the sustainability drive at Port of Amsterdam, Eurotank Amsterdam (ETA), a terminal for gasoline exports, recently announced that it will convert its gas oil tanks to store renewable energy such as biofuels and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). ETA is also developing the infrastructure at the port for these sustainable fuels. The jetties and loading arms will be upgraded this year and a new truck loading station will be built, helping to create a sustainable logistics hub at this strategic location.