How are emissions from making methanol calculated?

Use a carbon balance: carbon in the gas or coal fed in, minus carbon leaving in the methanol, is emitted as CO2. Coal-based methanol emits far more than gas-based. Add grid power at 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh. Methanol is not a CBAM good today.

Carbon balance

1. Carbon in feedstock and fuel, from quantity and carbon content.
2. Minus carbon in methanol and other products sold.
3. The rest, times 44/12, is CO2.

CBAM

Methanol is not on the CBAM goods list. Hydrogen is, so a methanol plant selling hydrogen should check that stream separately.

What Senseible does here

Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.

• Gas used as feedstock or fuel
• Answer a chemical PCF request

Sources: IPCC 2006 Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, CBAM Regulation (EU) 2023/956, consolidated

Last reviewed 2026-10-22.