Swiss marine power company WinGD plans to offer the first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke marine engine next year, with deliveries for newbuild and retrofit applications starting in 2027.

The announcement follows a decade of investigation by the company into ethanol fuel — including full-scale engine tests in 2018 — and the launch of a methanol-fuelled engine that uses the same combustion concept and is subject to the same safety regulations as the new ethanol engine.

The new engine will be adapted from the X-DF-M methanol-fuelled engine, which WinGD says has received positive feedback from first users and class societies approving the design. The diesel-cycle concept — available across the full range of bore sizes currently offered by WinGD — will feature an adapted control system and fuel injector nozzle arrangement to account for the higher energy density of ethanol and the consequently lower fuel volumes required.

WinGD has been studying ethanol fuel, which has a similar combustion and emissions profile to methanol, since 2014, beginning with a project financed by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. WinGD later led work to develop a flexible injector for alcohol fuels as part of the EU-funded HERCULES 2 project starting in 2016. Ethanol can be produced renewably from biomass and is prevalent at a competitive price in some national markets, driving interest in the new fuel.

"This announcement is further evidence of the strength of our research program. Our early ethanol explorations were crucial to the successful development of our X-DF-M methanol engine, and now both are enabling the rapid commercialization of the first ethanol-fuelled two-stroke engine," said Sebastian Hensel, VP R&D at WinGD. "As global emission regulations are set to be passed, we're pleased to be able to offer a further lower carbon alternative to ship owners and operators."

WinGD says it is in discussions with several ship owners, ethanol fuel suppliers, and class societies about the first commercial applications of its ethanol engine, and notes that it will confirm at a later date whether the engine will be optimized for ethanol or optimized for methanol with secondary ethanol capability.

WinGD also recently became a founding member of the Global Ethanol Association in an effort to connect key enablers in the ethanol value chain.

Hensel concluded: "With our long experience of and deep commitment to developing ethanol as a marine fuel, ship owners can be confident that we will deliver an engine design with similar robust performance, efficiency, and reliability as WinGD's existing dual-fuel engine portfolio."