Green Methanol - the emergence of a new Australian industry with ABEL Energy.

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Exploring Clean Energy

Andy Marsland

33 episodes

40 minutes ago

Join Andy Marsland in Exploring Clean Energy where we uncover the ideas, innovations, and projects powering our sustainable future. You may know us as Exploring Hydrogen, where for 31 episodes we’ve shone a spotlight hydrogen. However, our global challenge of decarbonisation is much bigger than one energy vector. Now, as we continue as The Exploring Clean Energy Podcast, this 2nd season we’re expanding the conversation to include the other stories that are shaping the energy transition of Australia and the world. We hope you enjoy the diversity of thought, and I welcome you so engage with me to help shape the episodes moving forward – so we can bring you the technical experts and projects that you want to hear about and to answer your important questions. Welcome to our energising journey.

All content for Exploring Clean Energy is the property of Andy Marsland and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Green Methanol - the emergence of a new Australian industry with ABEL Energy.

Exploring Clean Energy

44 minutes

2 weeks ago

Green Methanol - the emergence of a new Australian industry with ABEL Energy.

In this episode of Exploring Clean Energy, Andy is joined by Michael van Baarle, Executive Chairman & Co-founder of ABEL Energy. Together they unpack green methanol’s role in decarbonising heavy transport, covering the Bell Bay project, sustainable carbon sourcing, hydrogen, electrolyser choices, shipping demand and bunkering, project scale-up, and the policy and investment steps on the road to 2029/30.

Episode topics & timestamps
00:00 - Welcome: Why methanol belongs in the clean-fuels toolkit; episode overview.
02:10 - Methanol 101: CH₃OH, its uses, and why being a liquid matters for storage, handling, and retrofits.
06:05 - Shipping’s 3% problem: Clean combustion benefits, particularly near ports; the path from emissions control zones to green fuels.
10:00 - Carbon sources at scale: Biomass today, atmospheric CO₂ tomorrow—and the sustainability guardrails.
14:25 - Bell Bay “stack” of advantages: Green grid, plantation residues, deep-water berth, workforce, and power connection.
18:40 - Project scale: Why ABEL Energy sized Bell Bay to ~360,000 tpa—and how scale drives cost down.
23:15 - Global demand signals: New methanol-capable ships, bunkering hubs like Singapore, and meeting EU maritime rules.
28:05 - Technology choices: Bankability of tech, electrolyser selection, gasification.
33:20 - Water & utilities: Cooling vs. electrolysis demand; options for sourcing and treatment on site.
36:10 - Townsville pathway: “Reverse battery” flexibility, partnering with renewables, and behind-the-meter models.
41:00 - Policy & economics: Hydrogen production incentives, timelines to FID/operations, and why timing matters.
46:00 - Road to 2029/30: Funding, FEED readiness, and de-risking first-of-a-kind at Australian scale.
50:15 - What’s next: How listeners can follow ABEL Energy and help champion a new export industry.

Guest bio
Michael van Baarle is the Executive Chairman & Co-founder of ABEL Energy, an Australian industrial project developer focused on producing green methanol using green hydrogen and sustainable carbon sources. With nearly two decades across energy and infrastructure in Australia and the U.S., including methanol and DME, Michael co-founded ABEL Energy to catalyse a domestic green-methanol industry and position Australia as a regional supplier for clean shipping fuels and low-carbon chemicals.

Links
ABEL Energy: abelenergy.com.au
Michael van Baarle (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/michael-van-baarle-21994022/
ABEL Energy (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/company/abelenergy/