Pioneering Renewable Synthetic Fuels for a Carbon-Neutral Europe

The European Union has launched METHCESFUEL, a new Horizon Europe research project that brings together 10 partners from Spain, Germany, and Greece to develop renewable synthetic fuels from green methanol.
Coordinated by the Universidad de Sevilla, METHCESFUEL (Renewable Methanol-Based Synthetic Multifuel Production) tackles one of Europe’s most pressing energy challenges: finding viable replacements for fossil fuels in hard-to-decarbonise sectors such as aviation, shipping, and heavy industry. The project is funded under the Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement No. 101235215) within the call HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02 for the development of next-generation synthetic renewable fuel technologies.

The core innovation is a three-step conversion process. In the first step, green methanol is produced from captured CO₂ and renewable hydrogen. The methanol is then converted into synthesis gas (syngas), which is finally transformed into methane and dimethyl ether (DME). These are drop-in fuels, meaning they work with existing engines and infrastructure without modification. A distinctive feature of the METHCESFUEL approach is the integration of thermochemical energy storage (TCES), which improves overall system efficiency and allows flexible operation matched to renewable energy availability.

Over the next 48 months (January 2026 to December 2029), the consortium will design, validate, and demonstrate the technology at laboratory scale (TRL 4), build a Digital Twin for real-time process optimisation, and carry out a full techno-economic and sustainability assessment. The long-term goal is a technology roadmap for commercial deployment by 2031.

The project directly supports Europe’s REPowerEU strategy and climate neutrality targets by opening a scalable pathway to cost-effective renewable fuel production.

Consortium
Spain: Universidad de Sevilla (USE, Coordinator), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)., Universidad Loyola Andalucía (LOY), ESASUR Energía (ESA)’
Germany: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Bauer Tobias (ACH)
Greece: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), HELLENiQ Petroleum (HELPE)