Örnsköldsvik​

Örnsköldsvik is an export-intensive industrial town situated where the river Moälven meets the Gulf of Bothnia. Here a new methanol plant is being developed next door to a biorefinery and a municipal combined heat and power plant. At the latter, Hörneborgsverket, biofuels from the forests are used to produce heat, steam and electricity for the town and nearby industries. The new electrofuel plant will combine renewable hydrogen with carbon dioxide to produce e-methanol. The source of the carbon dioxide is originally forests and it would otherwise be released to the atmosphere. The integration with Hörneborgsverket means that steam, process water and excess heat can be shared between the fuel production and the district heating system, making the most of every unit of energy. Located directly by available methanol storage and a deep-sea harbour, e-methanol can be shipped out to customers across international markets without major new port infrastructure. By around 2029, the site is planned to host 150 megawatts of electrolysers producing roughly 22,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, all of which will be used on site to make about 100,000 tonnes of e‑methanol. The factory will be run by the Swedish electrofuel company Liquid Wind, which is developing similar plants along the Swedish and Finish coast, including one in Umeå further north. The two plants will act as digital twins, sharing data and experience to improve performance at both sites.