Uniper awards FEED contracts for e-methanol project to Afry/Topsoe

Energy firm Uniper has awarded Afry to deliver a FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) for NorthStarH2, a planned e-methanol production facility in Östersund, Sweden. The FEED work takes NorthStarH2 project from early project development towards a Final Investment Decision.

NorthStarH2 is one of Sweden’s most promising Power-to-X/e-methanol projects. Once built, the facility is designed to produce around 115,000 tonnes of e-methanol per year. This fuel can help cut fossil emissions in hard-to-abate sectors such as transport and the chemical industry, where methanol is a valuable raw material.

Earlier, Topsoe, a provider of advanced technology and solutions for the energy transition, also signed a contract with Uniper, The FEED will be based on Topsoe’s ModuLite e-methanol technology, including gas compression. This technology offers a prefabricated modular design, accelerating the commissioning and construction process, and ensuring rapid deployment, while its dynamic synthesis loop enables reliable operations as renewable power fluctuates.

The plant brings together two clean inputs. Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis, powered by 175 MW renewable electricity. That hydrogen is then combined with biogenic CO2 captured from Jämtkraft’s biomass-fired heat and power plant in Lugnvik. The result is fossil-free e-methanol made from renewable power and recycled biogenic carbon.

Afry’s scope covers a complete technical FEED, including strategies, plans, and a cost estimate. The team’s scope of work includes: process design, plant engineering, technical specifications, HSE in design and coordination with other stakeholders including OEM suppliers (providers of electrolysis, carbon capture, and methanol synthesis).

The assignment was kicked off late August, 2026, and is expected to run until Summer 2027. Uniper plans to make its Final Investment Decision for NorthStarH2 in 2028, with commissioning currently scheduled for 2031.

NorthStarH2 is driven by Uniper through Sydkraft Hydrogen AB, in cooperation with Jämtkraft. By turning renewable electricity and captured biogenic CO2 into fossil-free methanol, the project supports the decarbonisation of transport and the chemical industry, and strengthens Östersund’s position as a strong location for producing electrofuels.