Global e-methanol capacity plans exceed 10mn t/yr

Global e-methanol production capacity plans have increased to over 10mn t/yr after proposals for new plants were announced earlier this month in China, Spain and Brazil.

The combined capacity of operational and planned projects has reached 10.4mn t/yr, Argus data show, up by around 1mn t/yr from the start of this year.

The majority of this is in the early stages and most projects are still a long way from commissioning. Only around 216,000 t/yr of capacity is operational, almost all of which is in China. Another 708,000 t/yr is under construction or has reached a final investment decision. China also makes up the bulk of this capacity.

Most of the announced capacity is slated to come online later this decade, although not all facilities have a set start-up year. Europe accounts for over half of the announced capacity, with plans for 5.5mn t/yr. Spain and Denmark are the leading countries on the continent.

Asia-Pacific comes in second, with 2.6mn t/yr of planned capacity. China accounts for the majority of this, but there are also plans for several facilities in India.

The project pipeline rose above the 10mn t/yr mark after several recent announcements. A consortium of three companies announced plans for a 200,000 t/yr project in China, while Spanish developer HyFive said it wants to build a 100,000 t/yr site in Asturias and French firm Arhyze is looking to set up a same-sized facility in the Brazilian port of Suape.

By Stefan Krumpelmann