Celanese to construct methanol facility in Texas

Mark Rohr, Chairman and CEO, Celanese.

DALLAS, US: Celanese Corporation plans to construct and operate a methanol production facility at its Clear Lake, Texas acetyl complex. As one of the world’s largest producers of acetyl products, the company plans to utilize its existing infrastructure to capture the opportunities created by abundant and affordable US natural gas supplies.

The new facility with 1.3 million metric tonne per year is expected to start after 1 July 2015. A significant portion of the methanol produced would be used to support the company’s operations. The company expects to partner with one or more additional entities interested in the remaining methanol. The company currently produces acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer at the facility and is finalizing construction of its TCX ethanol technology development unit. The company’s global acetyl research and development centre is also located at the facility.

“The positive developments in the US energy complex and the current and emerging natural gas surplus make it advantageous for us to produce our own methanol requirements for US acetyl production. Utilizing existing Celanese infrastructure helps reduce capital requirements while capturing advantages of state-of-the-art technologies,” said Mark Rohr, Chairman and CEO, Celanese.

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