Section: Industry News

Topsoe has been selected as technology provider by Sandpiper Chemicals LLC, for their new blue methanol plant in Texas City, Texas. Topsoe will license its Syn-COR™ technology, which will be combined with carbon capture & storage (CCS) for the production of blue methanol. The project, when operational will produce 3,000 t/d of blue methanol. The IEA estimates that methanol demand is expected to grow to 120-150 million t/a by 2030. Today, methanol is primarily used within the chemical industry, but growing demand is coming from the shipping industry as it looks to lower emissions.

ATOME says that it has signed a definitive offtake agreement with Yara for the purchase of the entire 260,000 t/a output of the low-carbon Villeta project. The plant will be based on 100% renewable baseload power, and will displace some 500,000 t/a of carbon dioxide equivalent. ATOME says that the agreement represents the last commercial milestone in its path to a final investment decision (FID), following the successful completion of other key commercial items, including the signing of the $465 million fixed-price, lump-sum engineering, procurement and construction contract with Casale.

Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) has granted approval in principle to SRC for ‘methanol superstorage’, an innovative tank design concept that uses a sandwich plate system technology to almost double shipboard storage capacity for both methanol and ethanol. The approval confirms that methanol superstorage is feasible for the intended application in accordance with the society’s 'Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels’.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International Corporation says that it has successfully delivered syngas and ammonia refrigeration compressor trains for the Beaumont New Ammonia Project in Beaumont, Texas. This facility, originally developed by OCI Global as the OCI Clean Ammonia project, now owned by Woodside Energy, will be the first large-scale, lower-carbon greenfield ammonia facility in the world.

The nitrogen plants at HIP’s Azotara site are to be dismantled and removed as part of plans to convert the site to a data storage facility. Plants to be removed include the urea plant and urea storage facility, the UAN liquid storage facility, the calcium ammonium nitrate and nitric acid plans, and thegrain storage societies. In addition, the entire Block 6 is planned to be removed, which includes ammonia plants and storage, nitric acid and urea production, all of which have been out of operation for a long time.

NextChem and Siemens Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the development and commercialisation of a high temperature methanol fuel cell, based on a newly designed modularised solution. With an initial focus on the high-end yachting segment, the target market for the cooperation is the maritime industry and beyond. According to the MoU, NextChem will focus on the design and supply of the methanol fuel cell module, while Siemens Energy will leverage its expertise in onboard system integration, complete electrification and energy management with the aim of delivering a complete solution to shipyards and owners.

Ukrainian drones attacked the Azot chemical plant in Perm Krai on October 3rd, according to regional Governor Dmitry Makhonin. The strike reportedly disrupted production at the facility, one of Russia’s largest nitrogen fertilizer producers, located about 1,700 km from Ukrainian-controlled territory, which produces ammonia, urea, and ammonium nitrate.

Ammonia producer CF Industries says that it has shipped its first cargo of low-carbon ammonia from its Donaldsonville, Louisiana facility. The 23,500 tonne shipment was purchased by commodities specialist Trafigura to be used in Antwerp, Belgium by engineering materials firm Envalior in the production of low-carbon caprolactam.

Topsoe has signed an offtake agreement to provide its Solid Oxide Electrolyser Cell (SOEC) technology for Forestal’s Triskelion green methanol plant in Galicia. The SOEC’s will be delivered from Topsoe’s manufacturing facility in Herning, Denmark, which is nearing the final stage of readiness for industrial-scale production. The agreement, which includes a 10-year service warranty program, builds on Topsoe’s existing agreement with Forestal, announced in December 2024, to provide its e-methanol synthesis technology, catalysts and engineering for highly efficient e-methanol production.

Clariant has signed a supply agreement with SYPOX to manufacture and deliver catalysts for what is claimed to be the world’s largest electric steam methane reformer (e-SMR). The project combines SYPOX’s electrical reformer technology with Clariant’s expertise to enable syngas production with significantly reduced CO2 emissions. Scheduled to begin operations in 2026, the e-SMR will use 10 MW of renewable electricity to generate approximately 150 t/d of syngas.