Methanex turns to coal for Chile plant energy

13 June 2008 19:22  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--An initiative for the Methanex plant near Punta Arenas, Chile will use coal to generate electricity for the plant, potentially boosting methanol output by as much as 5%, a company representative said on Friday.

The project will free up natural gas for methanol production, but the time frame for project completion was undetermined, according to Methanex’s director of investor relations Jason Chesko.

The 3.82m tonne/year methanol complex in southern Chile has been severely hampered by the cut-off of natural gas from Argentina and is currently running around 30% capacity.

“[The coal project] will cost around $40m (€26m),” said Chesko. “We’re developing the project, and we’ve done a lot of work on it so far.”

The coal will be sourced from a local producer and project complete could be ready in the next few years, Chesko added.

($1 = €0.65)

For more on methanol, visit ICIS chemical intelligence

 

By: Steven McGinn
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