Market Outlook
• Prices are likely to remain on an upward trajectory as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Middle East export availability is constrained.
• Prices are likely to remain on an upward trajectory as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Middle East export availability is constrained.
Methanol’s phenomenal growth in the early years of the century was based on its uptake into fuel uses and its ability to bridge coal reserves with plastics production in China. However, with these sectors maturing, traditional chemical end uses are becoming the main growth sector once again.
Indian renewables developer ACME says that it will partner with the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (IPICOL) to set up a green methanol plant in Kendrapada, Odisha state. He proposal is for a 200,000 t/a plant, with ACME taking a stake via its ACME Akaysha Energy subsidiary, part of its green hydrogen business. ACME says that the project forms part of its plans to develop multiple low carbon hydrogen plants and downstream chemical production. The company is planning a large green ammonia facility in Gopalpur through a joint venture with Japan-based IHI Corporation. It is also developing a 2,200 t/d green ammonia project in Paradip with cooperation from the Solar Energy Corporation of India. The output of the facilities will be used both for domestic applications and for export.
thyssenkrupp Uhde has been selected by Halifax-based Nova Sustainable Fuels (NSF) to carry out an integration and optimisation study for a planned biomass-to-methanol project ..
Transition Industries has signed a long-term firm natural gas supply contract for the Pacifico Mexinol project in Topolobampo, Sinaloa state with CFEnergía.
Casale and Paralloy Group have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the recent CRU Nitrogen+Syngas 2026 Conference in Barcelona to jointly commercialise ...
Spain’s Methanol Reformer has signed a sales and purchase agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) for the supply of an L18 methanol reformer compliant with Japanese industry requirements. The system will be delivered and installed at MGC’s Niigata plant, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2026. Methanol Reformer says that this, their first industrial project in Japan, reinforces the company’s presence in the Asian market, while for MGC, the collaboration supports the adoption of innovative hydrogen-generation solutions designed to enhance operational applicability and efficiency with reliability.
Clariant says it is collaborating in Repsol’s pioneering methanol plant in El Morell near Tarragona, Spain. The Ecoplanta project will be the first of its kind in Europe to convert municipal waste into renewable methanol, using Enerkem’s advanced waste gasification process, supported by a range of Clariant’s syngas purification catalysts and its highly active MegaMax methanol synthesis catalysts. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the plant will use 400,000 t/a of non-recyclable solid municipal waste to produce 240,000 t/a of methanol.
Air Water Gas Solutions, a subsidiary of Air Water America, will build an air separation unit to support the production of 1.1 million t/a of blue methanol at Sandpiper Chemicals’ blue methanol facility in the US. The low carbon methanol producer has contracted Air Water to design, build, and operate the ASU to provide oxygen, nitrogen, and instrument air for blue methanol production. The project is still at the pre-final investment decision (FID) stage, with production targeted for 2030.
KBR has been awarded a contract for its PureM green methanol technology by Fikrat Al-Tadweer for a biomethanol plant in Saudi Arabia which will convert landfill gas into clean fuels. KBR’s technology is designed for commercial-scale deployment with a low cost of renewable methanol production, and can utilise a wide range of feedstocks, including biogas, gasification-derived syngas, hydrogen, and pure CO2 , enabling flexibility and efficiency. Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide technology licensing, proprietary engineering design, catalyst, and proprietary equipment for the biomethanol facility.