Norwegian energy giant Equinor and NG Nordic-owned Mana have formed an early-stage strategic partnership to explore the potential development of the Nordics’ first large-scale waste-to-methanol project at Mongstad complex, with the support of sustainable technology solutions provider NEXTCHEM.
Equinor and Mana’s joint initiative aims to create a solution where non-circular waste is converted into green fuel while capturing and storing carbon.
The plan is to convert around 550,000 tons of residual waste annually into 270,000 tons of methanol, and to capture and permanently store 400,000 tons of CO2.
According to the partners, the produced methanol could initially replace marine bunker fuel to meet the targets of the FuelEU Maritime regulation, exempting final users from buying ETS credits and paying penalties, and potentially later be used as feedstock for methanol-to-jet facilities to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) compliant with FuelEU Aviation regulation.
The project is in an early development phase, and Equinor and Mana have now selected NEXTCHEM, through its subsidiary MyRechemical, to conduct a feasibility study during the spring of 2026 for the planned waste-to-methanol plant at Mongstad refinery.
As a technology integrator and service provider, NEXTCHEM intends to deliver the feasibility study to Mana and Equinor, providing the technical and economic evaluation of waste gasification and the subsequent purification of syngas for methanol production.
Fabio Fritelli , Managing Director of NEXTCHEM, commented: “We are proud to support this early-stage strategic partnership to explore the potential to develop the Nordics’ first large-scale waste-to-methanol project at Mongstad, Norway. Northern Europe represents an ideal context for replicable and scalable industrial projects, with tangible environmental and industrial benefits.”