By Malini Hariharan Chinese methanol demand growth in 2011 has beaten expectations thanks to rising requirement from the gasoline blending and methanol-to-olefins (MTO)/methanol-to-propylene (MTP) segments. Demand last year is estimated to have expanded by an impressive 30% to reach 26m tonnes, well above earlier forecasts of 19% growth, according to Ken Yin, the methanol editor […]
Asian Chemical Connections
PDH spreads in China
By Malini Hariharan After methanol-to-propylene (MTP), Chinese companies are racing to build propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants with eight new projects announced over the last three months. The blog estimates that PDH projects with a total propylene capacity of 4.6m tonnes/year have been planned for completion in 2013-14 (a full list is available here China PDH […]
China’s methanol economy
By Malini Hariharan China is well set to take on an even larger role in the global methanol industry. The country already accounts for a little over 40% of demand and its share is set to expand rapidly in the coming years. The blog recently caught up with Ken Yin, the China methanol markets editor […]
Methanol stays strong, but for how long?
By Malini Hariharan The doom and gloom affecting many segments of the petrochemical industry has yet to reach methanol. Asian spot prices have been stable since January and have hovered in the $340-350/tonne range during the last three months. Methanol traditionally tracks crude oil prices but the product has been unaffected by the recent slide […]
Methanol: China key to upbeat forecasts
By Malini Hariharan When it comes to methanol its all about China. Producers are expecting another strong year if Chinese demand remains robust. China’s appetite kept Asian spot prices in the $200-410/tonne range last year and the expectation is for prices to hover between $300-400/tonne this year, writes my colleague Heng Hui, ICIS pricing methanol […]
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