Danish firm Topsoe was lined up to provide methanol synthesis technology for Orsted’s now-scrapped plant
Kim Hedegaard, CEO of Topsoe's power-to-X unit.Photo: Topsoe
The decision last week by Danish developer Orsted to scrap its 70MW FlagshipONE green hydrogen-to-methanol plant — billed as the largest in Europe — took everyone by surprise, not least because the firm had taken final investment decision (FID) on the project two years previously.
The company, which had already broken ground on the 70MW project in northern Sweden, blamed sluggish development in the European e-fuels market for the cancellation, telling Hydrogen Insight that the project was “unsustainable” and did not create financial value — adding that it had not been able to secure the required offtake demand to justify continued capital expenditure.