Magazine: Nitrogen+Syngas

Gas Chemical Complex MTO Central Asia LLC has signed an agreement with Air Products to build a new methanol production facility. Known as Methanol Island, the facility would have a capacity of 1.34 million tons per year, as a part of the Methanol-to-olefin (MTO) gas chemical complex in Uzbekistan. The facility, to be built in the Karakul Free Economic Zone situated in Uzbekistan’s Bukhara region, will cover 15 hectares. It is planned to enter operation in 2025 for an expected operational life of 25 years.

A look at fatal incidents in the ammonia industry over the past two decades.

The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) has announced that Tony Will has been elected as the new Chair of the Association. Will is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of CF Industries, a global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for fertilizer, clean energy, emissions abatement and other industrial applications.

Market Insight courtesy of Argus Media

Pejman Djavdan , CEO of Stamicarbon looks at the ways in which the fertilizer industry must grapple with issues such as decarbonisation, sustainability and more efficient use of nutrients.

SABIC’s general assembly has approved the appointment of Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh as SABIC CEO, and an executive member of the board of directors until April 9, 2025 – the Board’s tenure end date. In its previous meeting, the Board of Directors, had agreed to appoint Dr. Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani as vice chairman. At the meeting, Khalid Al-Dabbagh, SABIC Chairman, noted that the past year had been difficult one, though “SABIC managed to face the challenges by intensifying its development programs to achieve record numbers in terms of production, sales, and revenues that exceeded the achievements of the previous year. However, its net profits have not met its aspirations and have shrunk compared to last year due to the worsening global conditions.” He also said that SABIC is pursuing plans to manage working capital through the Cash Cost Transformation program, and is sparing no effort to achieve sustainable growth, adopt long-term strategic goals for sustainability, and reduce emissions related to the life cycle of its products across the value chain.

Gasification, particularly of waste and biomass, is seeing interest as sustainable sources of syngas. But there are both technical and commercial challenges to wider adoption.

Johnson Matthey (JM) has signed an LCH™ technology licence with Equinor and Linde Engineering for H2H Saltend, one of the UK’s largest low carbon hydrogen projects. JM was selected alongside EPC partner Linde Engineering for the major FEED contract by Equinor. The licence counts towards JM’s milestone of winning more than ten additional large-scale projects by 2023/24.

Nitrogen+Syngas’s annual listing of new ammonia, urea, nitric acid and ammonium nitrate plants.

Further downward corrections are possible but the rate of demand is stabilising, suggesting the market floor is in sight, though some have suggested that May could bring another sharp reduction in the Tampa contract price towards the mid$300s c.fr. Demand remains sluggish in both eastern and western hemispheres.