Mitsui invests in US e-fuels provider Infinium

April 17, 2025, by Aida Čučuk

Japanese major Mitsui & Co. has invested in Infinium Holdings, a U.S.-based provider of gas conversion solutions and developer of e-fuels technology and projects.

As disclosed, this is Mitsui’s second initiative in the synthetic fuel area, following the investment in U.S.-based developer Twelve Benefit Corporation, announced on February 13, 2025.

Synthetic e-fuels are liquid fuels produced through the catalytic chemical reactions that occur between green hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). These fuels are expected to play an increasingly important part in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially in the transportation and industrial sectors.

It is understood that they offer a number of specific advantages. For example, GHG emissions are over 90% lower compared with fossil fuel-derived products, Mitsui said, adding that synthetic e-fuels can also be used as drop-in fuels without the need to modify engines or transportation and storage infrastructure. In addition, they are considered suitable for applications for which electrification is not viable, such as shipping, aviation and long-distance land surface transportation.

According to Mitsui, Infinium was the “first in the world” to start up a synthetic e-fuel production operation using its proprietary reverse water gas shift (RWGS) and liquid fuel production processes. Its first production plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, commenced production in late 2023, while its second facility is in development in West Texas.

At the beginning of 2025, Infinium and Summit Carbon Solutions, a compatriot operator of carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities, entered an arrangement for the supply of up to 670,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually at a proposed e-fuels facility in North Dakota or South Dakota. By leveraging Summit’s pipeline network, Infinium would, reportedly, have access to a consistent supply of CO2, which is important to the production of ultra-low carbon e-fuels.

It is also worth mentioning that in 2024, Infinium and Mo Industrial Park, an industrial development zone in Northern Norway, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop an advanced e-fuels production facility in Mo i Rana, Norway.

To note, Mitsui is said to be accelerating its initiatives across the entire carbon value chain, ranging from the recovery of CO2 through direct air capture (DAC) and other methods, to carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the use of CO2 to produce synthetic fuels, as well as the creation and sale of carbon credits.

By deepening collaboration across its e-fuel portfolio companies, Mitsui reportedly aims to expand its carbon-neutral fuel manufacturing and sales business, and link clean energy development and various CO2 materials from biomass, DAC and other sources, with a variety of fuel needs, thereby maximizing the value of its value chain.