One of the challenges frequently mentioned in the shipping industry is the volume of alternative fuels that will be required to support the transition to green operations, as well as the need to build the infrastructure. CMA CGM, in collaboration with ENGIE, is continuing to look for opportunities to produce biofuels. The shipping company announced plans to invest in the first industrial-scale facility for the production of second-generation biomethane fuel as part of their partnership expansion.
CMA CGM said it plans to co-invest in the “Salamander project,” planned for location in the Port of Le Harve. Projected to cost approximately $150 million, they plan to make an investment decision in late 2022. Production could begin as early as 2026. Production would be scaled up to reach 11,000 tons of second-generation biomethane annually. The biomethane would be produced in a process fueled by dry biomass from local wood-waste sources, along with solid recovered fuel. The biomethane is produced using ENGIE’s pyrogasification process.
Together the companies said their goal is to develop production for up to 200,000 tons of renewable gas annually worldwide by 2028. The fuel would be used to meet the needs of CMA CGM and the broader shipping industry.
The CMA CGM Group highlights that it already has a fleet of 30 dual-fuel “e-methane ready” ships in operation and they expect by 2026 to have 77 ships ready to operate on the alternative fuel. The dual-fuel engine technology developed by CMA CGM, which currently runs on LNG, is capable of using bioLNG, as well as synthetic methane.
Majority-owned by ENGIE and the CMA CGM Group, the site being considered is in Le Havre, backed by the support of the Havre Seine Métropole urban community via the investment program “Le Havre, Ville portuaire intelligente.” A funding request has been submitted to the European Commission’s Innovation Fund.
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