Resource availability for e-MGO adoption in maritime transport: A case study in the Port of Barcelona

Abstract

Power-to-Liquid processes have the potential to decarbonize maritime transport by producing carbon–neutral electro-fuels. One example of a potential implementation of this process is the combined technology of co-electrolysis of carbon dioxide and water, along with Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis. Given the promising prospects of producing electro-fuels to achieve net-zero objectives by 2050, a critical question that arises is whether sufficient resources are available to replace the current demand for fossil marine gas oil (MGO). This study evaluates the requirements and availability of resources necessary for producing marine electro-fuel using the MGO demand at the Port of Barcelona as a case study. The results indicate that current supplies of renewable energy and biogenic CO2 are insufficient to fully replace the total fossil MGO demand. However, by 2050, it is expected that these resource limitations will be overcome, considering the current official projections for the growth of renewable electricity and the biogas industry. The deployment of renewable electricity generation and the rollout of biomethane industrial network as biogenic carbon source is found to be essential for the viability of the future substitution of fossil MGO with its electro-fuel equivalent.

Keywords

• Renewable resources
• Electro-fuels
• Marine gas oil
• Biogenic CO2
• Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
• Co-electrolysis