HyOrc and Start forge joint venture to build green methanol network in Portugal

September 18, 2025, by Aida Čučuk

HyOrc, a U.S.-based developer of modular green fuel technologies, has signed a definitive joint venture (JV) agreement with Start, a Portugal-based waste infrastructure and fuels company, to co-develop and operate a network of green methanol plants in Portugal using HyOrc’s proprietary RDF-to-methanol technology.

As informed, the JV will deploy an initial 35 tons per day (TPD) launch unit in Porto, producing 8 TPD of methanol, before scaling to five full-scale sites, each processing 300 TPD of municipal waste in the form of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to produce 80 TPD of green methanol. Over a 10-year period, the full platform of five sites is projected to exceed $3.25 billion in total revenues, according to HyOrc.

It is understood that the venture will be structured as a 50-50 equity partnership, in which HyOrc provides gasifiers, methanol technology, and project leadership, while Start contributes land, permitting, and local infrastructure. Reportedly, HyOrc will retain intellectual property (IP) and appoint the JV’s managing director.

Reginald Fubara, HyOrc’s CEO, said: “This is not a pilot — it’s a platform. With strong economics, scalable design, and local execution capacity, we are laying the groundwork for Europe’s first circular methanol backbone.”

Ricardo Mota, Start’s CEO, commented: “This agreement will transform how waste is managed in Portugal. Together with HyOrc, we will turn a national RDF liability into a decarbonization asset.”

To remind, HyOrc and Start signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a 25,000 ton per annum (TPA) green methanol production facility in Porto earlier in 2025.

At the time, Andrea Magalini, HyOrc’s Director of Business Development, noted: “We are systematically identifying the right locations to anchor a scalable supply chain for green fuels that can serve maritime, industrial, and transport applications for decades to come.”