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In December 2022, Barbara Frenkel and Michael ­Steiner of Porsche’s Executive Board turned on the ‘Haru Oni’ e-fuel pilot plant in Chile. MAN Energy ­Solutions is involved in this prestigious project too.

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The wind blows all year round in Southern Chile, providing ideal conditions for producing synthetic fuels. These e-fuels, as they are called, can only be produced climate-neutrally if renewable energy is used for the process. This is the case in Punta Arenas. A giant wind turbine supplies electricity to a Porsche e-fuel pilot plant, which has been in operation since December 2022. Colleagues in Deggendorf supplied the reactor for producing synthetic methanol that is at the heart of the ‘Haru Oni’ plant. In order to produce the fuel, CO2 is extracted from the air and reacts with hydrogen to produce liquid methanol, which is then turned into synthetic gasoline.

1,000 times smaller than a commercial plant

According to Christian Schuhbauer, Head of New Technologies, the reactor is relatively tiny by Deggendorf standards: “We normally supply reactors with between 10,000 and 40,000 tubes. The reactor for Chile is 1,000 times smaller than a commercial plant, because only very small quantities are going to be synthesized to begin with. If the pilot project is a success, another much bigger plant will be built and we reckon we stand a good chance of being chosen as a project partner, of course. Following a successful trial, we can upscale our reactor to any size.”

 

Capacity of 550 million liters planned

E-fuel production of around 130,000 liters a year is planned for the pilot phase. The fuel will initially be used in lighthouse projects such as the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, as well as in Porsche Experience Centers. After the pilot phase, the first scale-up is expected to take the project in Chile to around 55 million liters a year by mid-decade. Two years or so later, capacity is expected to reach 550 million liters.
One of the big advantages of the Punta ­Arenas site is its location close to the Strait of Magellan, which means that, as with conventional fuels, the synthetic e-fuel can be shipped all over the world from the port of Cabo Negro and distributed via the existing infrastructure. Even the transport vessels might run on methanol soon. MAN Energy Solutions has been working on appropriate engines for some time now.

Our involvement in this pilot project is especially important for MAN Energy Solutions, as interest in and demand for green methanol is growing all the time. Methanol can be used not just for synthetic gasoline, but also for e-kerosene in aviation. It can also be used in the chemical industry for producing plastics. There is a great deal afoot just now.

Christian Schuhbauer, Head of New Technologies

Rising demand for green methanol

MAN expert Christian Schuhbauer draws a positive conclusion from the collaboration with Porsche: “Our involvement in this pilot project is especially important for MAN ­Energy Solutions, as interest in and demand for green methanol is growing all the time. Methanol can be used not just for synthetic gasoline, but also for e-kerosene in aviation. It can also be used in the chemical industry for producing plastics. There is a great deal afoot just now.”

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