US Has 2 Billion Gallons Of Spare Ethanol Capacity To Fuel Over 300 Methanol-Capable Ships, Study Finds
A new study finds that ethanol can be used in methanol-ready ships with limited modifications, offering an alternative low-emission marine fuel as methanol supplies remain limited.
Ethanol can use the dual-fuel engines and bunkering infrastructure built for methanol with limited modification. That gives shipowners a readily available fuel for a growing fleet at a time when supply of low-emission methanol remains constrained, according to a new study published today by the Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA), a platform of the Global Centre for Green Fuels (GCGF).
According to the study, Marine Ethanol: Unlocking the US Opportunity, ethanol can support more than 300 methanol-capable vessels in service or on order, either on its own or blended with methanol.
The study adds that the US is well placed to meet shipping’s growing demand for biofuels. US plants can produce 18.5 billion gallons a year against 2025 output of 16.4 billion gallons, leaving around 2 billion gallons of spare capacity. The US already produces just over half of the world’s fuel ethanol. It exports to around 80 countries, largely through Gulf Coast terminals that are also major bunkering hubs.
International shipping burns around 300 million tonnes of fuel a year, worth an estimated US$180 billion. In the study’s illustrative scenarios, ethanol meeting 1% of that fuel by mass would require around 1 billion gallons, well within today’s spare capacity. A 5% share by the mid-2030s would require around 5 billion gallons.
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