Today the construction of the first commercial plant for the manufacture of synthetic fuels has begun. Located in Punta Arenas, in the Chilean province of Magallanes, it will convert the force of wind and water into synthetic methanol. Production will begin in less than a year.
Several multinational companies have joined forces to make the synthetic fuel production in a country well stocked with basic resources: air and water. The beginnings are going to be easy, but in about five years it will reach a fairly respectable level of production.
The project «Haru Oni» It has materialized in the first field work today. The South American country has an ambitious plan to fight anthropogenic climate change. Within the framework of its National Green Hydrogen Strategy, Chile will have 5 GW of electrolyzer power in 2025, and in another five years it will have multiplied it by five, 25 GW.
It is the product of the association of the Chilean Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF), Siemens Energy, Porsche, Enel, ExxonMobil, Gasco and ENAP
The pilot plant It will have a wind generator that will feed an electrolyzer. Through electrical energy, water is broken down at the molecular level, resulting in oxygen and hydrogen. By capturing CO2 from the air and combining it with hydrogen, a basic hydrocarbon is obtained: synthetic methanol.
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Synthetic methanol or eFuel it’s a close substitute for gasoline (benzine or naphtha in countries in the area), which allows its use in spark ignition engines without the need for adaptations. As the fuel has been obtained by capturing CO2, the exhaust emissions of this gas have a theoretical net result of zero.
In other words, we can think of the pilot plant as an artificial tree, which turns carbon dioxide and water into fuel (simplifying the photosynthesis process). After obtaining the corresponding environmental permits, construction work has already started.
Synthetic fuel production will start at a modest pace, with production expected to be 130,000 liters next year, once it starts operating. In 2025 production will have multiplied by more than 420, 55 million liters, and in the following two years it will have multiplied by 10, up to 550 million liters in 2026.
It is the first large-scale commercial plant in the world for carbon-free synthetic fuels. The eFuels they are one of the legs in which certain manufacturers – such as Porsche – seek to approach carbon neutrality even though internal combustion engines continue to be used.
The benefits for the environment are clear, well-to-tank emissions are lower than fossil gasoline, and instead of waiting millions of years for its availability, it is a matter of minutes. On the other hand, the exhaust emissions are less harmful, being chemically purer fuel.
The reduction of CO2 emissions is estimated at 90%
Regarding CO2, it is almost the hens that enter compared to those that leave. As the production of the fuel has absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere, then, when it escapes again through the exhaust after combustion, this gas has not increased by more than a small fraction globally. CO2 is the product of any combustion process, so Every internal combustion engine inevitably emits CO2.
Porsche 911 GT3 in the pits of Zandvoort (Holland) this year
It will not be a totally ecological solution for the simple reason that internal combustion engines always have minimal harmful emissions associated with oil consumption, no matter how little it may be, but it is certainly preferable to using fossil oil as the source.
This fuel will be used in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup from 2022 onwards
Porsche, in addition to relying on plug-in hybrids and pure electric, believes that synthetic fuels have a lot of potential and allow to maintain the touch and sensations of conventional engines. However, it is unrealistic that oil production can be supplied with synthetic fuels.
The German manufacturer boasts that 70% of Porsche 911s that have been manufactured are still in circulation, and they will be able to continue to do so if they have access to eFuels when conventional gasoline is prohibited, or is prohibitive in terms of price.