MENA-Fuels

As part of the Energy transition in transport research initiative of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy the project MENA-Fuels investigates the potential role and the implication of the utilisation of synthetic fuels in Germany.

In part A the potential demand for these fuels in Germany is examined. In the subproject A.I the technology paths for the production of relevant synthetic fuels are assessed from a holistic perspective in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and obstacles as well as their development potential. In the subproject A.II the promising fuel paths for Germany are modelled and their embedding in and repercussion on the energy system are discussed. This includes an analysis of how an economically optimized coverage of synthetic fuel requirements could be designed in the future. It is of particular interest which part of the demand could be covered by domestic sources and which part would have to be imported by the MENA-region. In case of import it has to be analysed whether the fuels themselves or their primary products electricity, hydrogen or intermediate products like synthetic gas are imported.

Based on the assumption that the demand of renewable energies derived in the scenarios cannot be covered completely in Germany, transformation paths for the production and transport of hydrogen, intermediate products and fuels in the MENA-region (Middle East / North Africa) will be developed and evaluated in Part B.
Subproject B.I analyses which MENA countries provide which potential for the production of the mentioned fuels and their preliminary products for a long term basis at which cost. The possible energy requirement of the countries by themselves, restrictions with regards to infrastructure as well as water and CO₂ access and political risks are taken into account. Moreover, in three countries case studies will investigate which realistic opportunities for the development of market starting points for the export are given. While subproject B.II analyses both trade relations and sales markets and the overall macro-economic, socio-economic and environmental impacts of synthetic fuels strategies on germany and on the MENA-region, subproject B.III outlines supply paths and roadmaps for the analysed fuels.

In general, the study provides orientation knowledge for projects that envisage the MENA-region as a resource supplier for synthetic fuels. For validation by stakeholders, the project will be accompanied by two advisory boards of experts, who are interested industry representatives from Germany and relevant actors from the MENA-region.

The department Energy Markets deals in particular with the global trade of synthetic fuels and their raw materials and the effects on trade relations between Germany, Europe and the MENA-region.

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