EnergyOrders pour in for Earth-friendly automotive methanol as EU target loomsMitsui says its synthetic-methanol plant in Denmark is the world's first commercial-scale facility of its kind. (Mitsui & Co.)KENTO HIRASHIMAAugust 21, 2026 06:03 JSTTOKYO -- Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. said Thursday that it has started commercial operations at a synthetic-methanol plant in Denmark, with the facility receiving a flood of orders for an unexpected application: vehicles.Read NextBusiness dealsJapan's Eneos to buy Texas chemical maker TPC in US pushEnergyJapan's Eneos eyes $6bn in global investments after Chevron dealAutomobilesMazda starts biodiesel trial with Nippon Express to decarbonize logisticsBusiness dealsJapanese companies take major stakes in US synthetic gas projectInterviewSouth Korea to reconsider plan for ammonia use in coal plants: energy ministerMaterialsTakaichi and Modi to agree on supporting ammonia productionLatest on EnergyEnergyIran war energy crisis sparks Philippine solar boomEnergyIndia's push on ethanol-blended fuel questioned by scientists and analystsEnergyChina's solar panel production cuts fail to reverse price slump