E-fuel producer files for bankruptcy, eyes sale

Swedish e-fuel developer Liquid Wind AB, the parent company of the Liquid Wind Group, declared bankruptcy on 11 May, and has put its operations, including subsidiaries in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, up for sale. The bankruptcy clouds the future of several e-fuel production plant projects under development.

The bankruptcy administration is being led by lawyer Lars Melin and several colleagues at Styrks Law Firm, which has been appointed as bankruptcy trustee.

The bankruptcy comes during a period when regulatory uncertainty has stalled decisions surrounding IMO’s Net-Zero Framework shipping’s transition from fossil fuels to low- and zero-carbon fuels.

Liquid Wind has several e-fuel projects under development, including e-methanol production plants in Örnsköldsvik, Sundsvall, Umeå and Östersund. The bankruptcy filing comes just days after the company applied for an environmental permit for EFÖvik at the Land and Environment Court in Umeå. On 5 May the company said plans call for the e-fuel production facility to operate in close industrial symbiosis with Övik Energi’s biomass-fuelled combined heat and power plant, using its captured biogenic CO₂ together with renewable hydrogen to produce sustainable e-methanol for shipping, aviation, land transport and chemicals.

Riviera has reached out to Liquid Wind AB and the bankruptcy trustee for comment.