Schneider Electric, Aveva automate e-methanol plant

Schneider Electric announced Oct. 22 that it’s supplying the automation, energy management and software for European Energy’s Kassø Power-to-X (PtX) facility in Denmark, which is reported to be the world’s first commercially viable e-methanol plant. The project was managed and delivered by Soft & Teknik A/S, a longstanding Schneider Electric Alliance Partner that was responsible implementing its technologies onsite, and led development of the integrated software unifying its operations.

Powered by renewable electricity from the adjacent 304 MW Kassø solar park, the facility captures biogenic CO₂ from nearby sources to produce up to 42,000 tonnes of e-methanol annually. Confirmed consumers of Kassø Power-to-X’s e-methanol include A.P. Moller-Maersk, Novo Nordisk and the Lego Group, which each plant to use its sustainable feedstock as a fossil fuel alternative. Locally, the facility supports district heating for 3,300 homes, and contributes to grid stability, reinforcing its role in global and community-level sustainability.

“This isn’t just a milestone for European Energy. It’s a breakthrough for the global green fuels industry,” says Knud Erik Andersen, CEO at European Energy. “We’ve had a long cooperation with Schneider Electric. Its technology made it faster going from pilot to full-scale commercial production at our Kassø facility. This will advance clean fuel innovation and support the global energy transition.”

Schneider reports its design supports enhanced productivity and cost efficiencies, ensures reliability, safety and sustainability, and creates a scalable blueprint for green energy production. It adds that scaling commercially viable e-methanol is essential, especially for hard-to-electrify sectors like chemicals, aviation and shipping, but it’s necessary to decarbonize operations and unlock global, clean-fuel economies.

European Energy uses Schneider’s Modicon M580 PLCs for cybersecure automation and real-time data intelligence. It also employs Safety Integrity Level (SIL)-certified safety modules with diagnostics, which ensure safe, resilient operations in harsh settings. Altivar Process low-voltage drives add intelligent motor control with integrated energy monitoring and process optimization, reducing consumption and extending asset life. And, Trihal transformers provide fire-safe, low-maintenance performance with IoT-enabled thermal monitoring to prevent overheating and unplanned downtime.

All these systems are unified by Aveva’s System Platform software with real-time operational visibility and centralized control across sites. Its scalable architecture supports development of a unified operations center (UOC), enabling faster decisions, improved operator efficiency, remote operations and streamlined engineering. In addition, Schneider’s Cybersecurity by Design program ensures secure, remote, hybrid operations-protecting infrastructure, and maintains compliance across European Energy’s global footprint.

“This project marks a pivotal moment in the journey toward industrial decarbonization,” says Gwenaelle Avice Huet, EVP for industrial automation at Schneider Electric. “By embedding automation, energy management and software into a unified solution, we’re helping European Energy reduce downtime, emissions and operations costs, while enhancing performance, reliability and safety. Together, we’re creating a scalable, replicable model that can accelerate global rollout of commercial e-methanol plants, and drive the transition to a more sustainable energy future.”