Methanol quantity threshold is raised in the Hazardous Incident Ordinance

(CONNECT) According to a press release, the Swiss Power-to-X Collaborative Network has consolidated the Swiss methanol safety standards together with the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Powerloop association. As a result, the quantity threshold for methanol in the exemption list of the Major Accidents Ordinance was raised from 2 tons to 20 tons as of 1 October 2025.

Raising the volume threshold reduces administrative hurdles for the use of renewable methanol for synthetic fuel production. The consolidated standards ensure a high level of safety for people and the environment and range from training, protective equipment, storage, fire and explosion protection to environmental and emergency management. They apply to companies of all sizes.

"The industry has taken responsibility here and shown that voluntary self-regulation can work. The consolidated standards create planning security for companies that use (green) methanol as the energy source of the future and support the development of Power-to-X technologies in Switzerland," Peter Metzinger, Co-Managing Director of SPIN, is quoted as saying in the press release

Renewable methanol is regarded as one of the most important raw materials for the production of renewable synthetic fuels of the future, but is toxic even in small quantities and is highly flammable with a flash point of 10 degrees Celsius, according to SPIN.

The Swiss Power-to-X Collaborative Network is the network of Swiss Power-to-X networks. The aim of the association is to accelerate the 100% supply of renewable energies in Switzerland and worldwide and to achieve at least net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (especially CO2) by 2050. ce/yes