Synthetic fuel production project by Porsche and partner Chilean operating company Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF)
December 2020, from nowSynthetic fuel development project in Chile announced about two years ago..
It seems that the factory "Haru Oni pilot plant" in this project has finally been completed, and it was announced that it was officially opened on December 20, 2022 by Chilean Energy Minister Diego Pardow.
At the opening of the factory, a ceremony was held in which Porsche board members Barbara Frenkel and Michael Steiner refueled the Porsche 911 with the first synthetic fuel produced at the factory.
This synthetic fuel is made from water and carbon dioxide using wind energy, and it is said that gasoline engine vehicles can be driven almost carbon neutral.
Currently, there are more than 1.3 billion vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines in the world, and these vehicles will continue to run in the future.
It is said that it will be possible to provide a carbon-neutral alternative to these vehicles by using synthetic fuels (eFuels) instead of gasoline, which they have been using until now, without changing the vehicle itself. I'm here.
The pilot phase initially plans to produce about 130,000 liters of eFuels per year, and these fuels will initially
- Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup
- Porsche Experience Center
It is planned to be used in such places.
After the pilot phase, it is expected to produce 55 million liters per year by the middle of the decade, and two years later the capacity will be around 550 million liters.
Anyway, the southern part of Chile where this factory was built is said to be the land where the wind blows about 270 days a year, and it is possible to operate the wind turbine at full capacity, so it is an ideal place for eFuels production. That's what I'm talking about.
This is the original image of the factory construction.
That's exactly what it feels like ^^ ↓
Even so, the land was chosen because it would allow the wind turbines to operate at full capacity, but is there only one wind turbine? So at this stage, I wonder if it will be in time.
I don't know much about wind power, so I did a little research:
A single 1,500 kW wind turbine is expected to generate approximately 3 million kWh of electricity per year. This is equivalent to the power consumption of 800 to 1,000 ordinary households.
Japan Wind Power Co., Ltd.
And that.
And it seems that the one installed in this Chilean plant this time is a Siemens wind turbine, and this power generation is 3.4 MW (3,400 kW).
First of all, it will be about 280 MW (280,000 kW) in the next stage, and eventually it will be 2.5 GW (2,500,000 kW) before this plant reaches industrial scale. Eh, that's pretty amazing.
You can see the factory in 360 degree view from here→ Haru Oni Pilot Plant
Furthermore, since this factory is located near the Strait of Magellan, it seems that it is possible to use the existing infrastructure when transporting the produced eFuels around the world.
Porsche is working to become carbon neutral throughout the value chain by 2030, and if this eFuels is produced normally, even internal combustion engine vehicles will still be "sustainable" by using eFuels. It would be nice if it was.
Porsche has already invested over $100 million in the development and production of this eFuels.
Source:
◆(Official) eFuels pilot plant in Chile officially opened
◆(Official) Construction begins on world's first integrated commercial plant for producing eFuels
Related article:
◆"Porsche is working on two things: e-mobility and synthetic fuel (eFuel)," said Porsche CEO.
◆ExxonMobil and Porsche test low carbon fuel in a racing environment
◆Porsche and Siemens Energy to develop eFuel with partner companies
◆Porsche to research and develop synthetic fuel eFuel
I'm Rika, the author of this article. Ever since Porsche 911 became my favorite car, I've become totally addicted to Porsche, and I can't stop loving Porsche, so I started this blog. My favorite cars are 911 Carrera (991.2), 911 Carrera Cabriolet (992.1), and 911 Carrera T (992.1).
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