31 January 2022 by   Bioenergy International

In Zella-Mehlis in southern Thuringia, Germany the regional Zweckverband für Abfallwirtschaft Südwestthüringen (ZASt) operates a waste-to-energy (WtE) plant. By the end of 2023, a production plant for synthetic methanol will be built at that site, funded by the state of Thuringia (photo courtesy ZASt).

In a two-stage, Europe-wide tendering process, compatriot STEAG GmbH, a European designer, developer, implementer, and operator of energy plants, together with the planning and engineering company Dr. Born – Dr. Ermel GmbH, was awarded the contract as architect-engineer to design the plant and supervise its construction.

The aim of the project, for which ZASt is to invest a total of around EUR 23 million at the Zella-Mehlis site, is to produce green, climate-friendly methanol. This is widely used as a basic material in the chemical industry, for example, but can also constitute a green alternative to fossil fuels and thus contribute to the decarbonization of the mobility sector.