MOSCOW (MRC) -- Methanex Corporation announced that it expects its Titan methanol facility (“Titan”) in Trinidad (875,000 annual operating capacity) will remain idled indefinitely, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
As a result, the Company has made the decision to restructure its Trinidad operations to support a one-plant operation and reduce its Trinidad workforce by approximately 60 positions filled by employees and long-term contractors.
To date, the facility has not able to reach an agreement for an economic longer-term natural gas agreement and given that the economic recovery path remains uncertain the company believes it is prudent to reduce costs while continuing efforts to secure longer-term gas supply. The Atlas methanol facility (Methanex interest 63.1%) is not affected by the change and continues to operate as it is underpinned by a separate natural gas supply agreement that expires in 2024.
John Floren, President and CEO, Methanex Corporation, commented, “We remain committed to doing business in Trinidad and Tobago and we believe that we will be able to secure an economic longer-term natural gas agreement for Titan in the coming years. Our operations in Trinidad are well located to supply global methanol markets and are an important component of our global production network. We are taking the necessary steps to maintain Titan to ensure a safe and efficient restart of the plant when a longer-term gas agreement is reached."
As per MRC, Air Liquide said on Wednesday that it has agreed with Methanex Corp. to supply oxygen, nitrogen and utilities to its upcoming methanol plant expansion project at Geismar, Louisiana. Air Liquide will invest more than USD270 million in two new large air separation units (ASUs) and infrastructure assets connected to its Mississippi River pipeline, and significantly increase its production capacity in the US Gulf Coast region to serve Methanex and its other customers in the industrial basin that encompases Geismar and Baton Rouge.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing PE and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated polyethylene (PE) consumption totalled 1,990,280 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, polypropylene (PP) shipments to the Russian market reached 1 090,900 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2020 (calculated using the formula: production, minus exports, plus imports, excluding producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.
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