French shipping giant CMA CGM and compatriot Engie are joining forces to develop a biomethane production facility at the heart of the Le Havre industrial-port zone to supply biomethane to CMA CGM’s fleet of LNG dual-fuel containerships.
According to a statement by Engie, this “major logistics hub in Europe is a strategic location for the development of new low-carbon energy solutions, particularly renewable gases, serving the maritime and industrial sectors.”
From 2029, the facility will supply 7,000 tons (equivalent to 100 GWh) of biomethane annually to CMA CGM’s LNG dual-fuel fleet, avoiding an estimated 23,000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year, Engie said.
Moreover, the facility will convert livestock waste, household biowaste and agricultural residues into biomethane, which will fuel the CMA CGM fleet through the European gas grid under a certified mass-balance system.
The process will also produce 100,000 tons of digestate, a nutrient-rich organic matter that can be used as natural fertilizer by local farmers, while 13,000 tons of biogenic CO₂ will be recovered for commercialization, further improving the project’s emissions-reduction performance.
ENGIE will lead the development of the project, including its technical design and permitting process.
Subject to a final investment decision, the group will then oversee the construction and operation of the facility.
As a minority shareholder alongside Engie, CMA CGM will invest in the project through PULSE, its energy fund dedicated to innovative technologies and infrastructure that support the decarbonization of the group’s transport and logistics activities.
Engie noted that the project builds on the partnership launched by the two groups in 2021 to accelerate the energy transition.
The two firms signed a deal to work on the industrial-scale production and distribution of synthetic methane and bio-LNG.
Engi and CMA CGM also revealed plans for a second-generation biomethane production project in 2022.