MOSCOW (MRC) -- Haldor Topsoe and Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Co., Ltd. (Yanchang) formed a joint venture with the aim of delivering locally produced MK-151+ methanol synthesis catalysts to the Chinese market, said the company.
The joint venture will secure fast delivery to local customers, who demand high-performance catalysts for energy-efficient methanol production. Together, the two companies will build a production facility in Shaanxi Fupin in China to produce methanol synthesis catalysts.
Topsoe and Yanchang have designed the plant and ordered long lead time equipment and therefore plan on starting up beginning of 2022. The joint venture will produce methanol synthesis catalysts for the Chinese market.
"Yanchang is well-positioned in the oil and gas value chain and a very experienced methanol producer. With this joint venture we combine Topsoe’s world-leading methanol catalyst technology and Yanchang’s outstanding production capabilities to produce our high-performance methanol synthesis catalysts that Topsoe will sell directly to our Chinese customers, enhancing our presence in the Chinese market,” says Amy Hebert, Chief Commercial Officer at Topsoe.
Forming of the joint venture and building of the catalysts facility will be the first step of a long-term strategic cooperation between Topsoe and Yanchang. Kaijia Yu from Topsoe has been appointed General Manager of the joint venture.
As per MRC, Haldor Topsoe will build a 15,000-tpy hydroprocessing catalyst plant at the company’s existing Bayport production site in Pasadena, Harris County, Texas. The plant will increase production capacity of Topsoe’s TK catalyst family to meet increasing demand, both in traditional refining and for use with Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology for production of renewable diesel and jet fuel. The plant is expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2023.
In 2019, Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNKH, part of the TAIF Group) and Haldor Topsoe signed a memorandum of intent to implement a methanol production project.
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