WasteFuel Global LLC (WasteFuel), a US-headed developer of biorefineries focused on converting municipal solid waste (MSW) into low carbon transportation fuels, and ITC, a leading Turkish integrated waste management company, announced a partnership to commence the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) on a green methanol biorefinery located in Ankara, Türkiye—the first green methanol facility in Anatolia and one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Founded in 2002, ITC specializes in the rehabilitation of unsanitary waste dumping areas, design and operation of sanitary landfills, mechanical sorting and biomethanization, waste-to-energy (WtE) generation, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production, sorting of recyclable waste, and the treatment of medical and hazardous waste.
ITC currently operates 14 facilities in 11 provinces across Türkiye, handling 22 percent of the waste generated in the country.
ITC’s Ankara site is one of the largest integrated waste treatment facilities in Türkiye, receiving over 1.8 million tonnes of municipal waste annually from the Ankara metropolitan area.
The biorefinery, which would adjoin ITC’s existing integrated waste management facility in Ankara, would utilize biogas derived from anaerobic digestion (AD) and landfill gas (LFG) collection.
Since our founding, ITC has been passionate about identifying innovative applications for municipal waste treatment that have a positive impact on the communities we serve. This project is a demonstration of this mindset. We are proud to join the Ankara municipality and WasteFuel in celebrating this milestone, said Yavuz Kantur, General Manager of ITC.
Green methanol for shipping
Once operational, its green methanol will be intended for use as a low-carbon fuel for the maritime market.
WasteFuel is proud to partner with ITC in Ankara, strengthening our global portfolio of green fuel projects. Green methanol will be crucial for near-term decarbonization of the shipping industry, and this project will help meet this growing global demand, remarked David Trench, CEO at WasteFuel.
The maritime industry is undergoing a generational shift towards cleaner and more sustainable operations, with over 300 methanol-capable container ships due for delivery by 2030.
Using green methanol as a marine fuel can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90 percent, enabling sea freight companies to expand their low-carbon shipping solutions and comply with regulations to reduce the industry’s emissions.
A final investment decision (FID) is expected in early 2026. If approved, the project would position Türkiye as a hub for sustainable marine fuel supply at the intersection of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The strong fundamentals of this project—ITC’s operational excellence in Ankara, a cost-effective build utilizing proven technology and proprietary processes, and ongoing support from Turkish government representatives—position this next stage for success, ended Johan Fritz, Global Project Director at WasteFuel.
