The Port of Montreal launches an e-methanol research project with related experts

As part of the Réseau Québec maritime's PLAINE program, the Port of Montreal is launching a project to research e-methanol as an alternative fuel to minimize the environmental impacts of commercial shipping and port activities.

For the next two years, the Montreal Port Authority is joining forces with a number of experts in this realm, including Polytechnique Montréal, Université Laval, Greenfield Global, Innovation maritime, and Ocean Group. The latter two are a partner of and a participant in Green Marine, respectively.

All of them will work together to identify, characterize and test optimal blends of e-methanol and marine diesel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships in the St. Lawrence by more than 40,000 tonnes a year.

The initiative is part of the port's commitment to become carbon neutral by 2035 for its Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions, and to support the logistics industry in accelerating decarbonization throughout the port territory by 2050.

PLAINE (le Programme de recherche visant L’Atténuation des Impacts de la Navigation commerciale sur les Écosystèmes) is the Réseau Québec maritime (RQM) research program for the mitigation of impacts of commercial navigation on ecosystems. It was developed in the context of Avantage Saint-Laurent, the Quebec government’s new vision for its maritime strategy, which aims to support the sustainable development of Quebec’s maritime sector.