The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, and the Norwegian Ambassador to Cairo, Hilde Klemetsdal, witnessed the signing of an agreement for the joint development of a new green methanol production project, the first of its kind in Egypt and the Middle East, the ministry announced in a statement. The agreement was signed between Alexandria National Refining and Petrochemical Company (ANRPC) and Norwegian company Scatec, a pioneer in green energy solutions, in cooperation with the Egyptian Bioethanol Company. Salah Gaber, President of ANRPC, and Terje Pilskog, CEO of Scatec, signed the agreement.
According to El Molla, this agreement marks a new stage in the oil industry’s progress in implementing green energy and low-emission fuel projects, in cooperation with leading international companies. The new project aims to produce 40,000 tonnes of green methanol a year, a quantity that can be increased to 200,000 tonnes a year, as part of the drive to promote the transition to green production. This will open up new export horizons for green products from Egypt’s petrochemical sector, boosting its competitiveness and presence on foreign markets.
Several installations
The project, which is of great importance to Scatec, will help put Egypt on the world map as a producer of this green fuel for ships. It will include the construction of renewable energy plants with a minimum capacity of 40 megawatts of solar power and 120 megawatts of wind power, as well as a 60-megawatt green hydrogen analyzer. A seawater desalination plant and green methanol production and storage stations will also be installed. It will also include the first station in Egypt to supply ships with green biofuel. It will be located in the port of Damietta, with investments of around 450 million dollars.
Pilskog confirmed that the signing of this agreement is a further step in strengthening cooperation with Egypt, which is in line with the company’s priority interests of supplying high-quality sustainable green fuel at competitive prices. This will help place Egypt at the top of the list of green chemical manufacturing and exporting countries, making it a destination and green fueling hub for the world’s shipping companies.
