Baleària to get standalone methanol-powered electricity generation equipment on its electric ferry

Spanish ferry company Baleària has decided to incorporate “Europe’s first” autonomous e-methanol power generation container into the electric ferry Cap de Barbaria.

Manufactured by Catalan company specializing in sustainable energy solutions, Methanol Reformer, eNomad system will be available in the coming weeks and will turn the Cap de Barbaria into an experimental hydrogen laboratory, as it is the first ferry in Europe to use methanol as an energy vector to produce hydrogen.

The use of this system marks a new milestone in decarbonization solutions applicable to short-distance maritime transport. The Cap de Barbaria, which has been operating between Ibiza and Formentera since 2023, was designed to integrate a hydrogen system capable of supplying a portion of the energy required by the vessel.

The eNomad system from Methanol Reformer combines electricity generation from hydrogen, produced by reforming e-methanol, with a modular, compact and autonomous design, capable of operating efficiently in port and maritime environments. Using the system on the electric ferry will enable its performance to be validated in real-life operating conditions.

The hydrogen generated by this system will be used to power