Half of the
plant’s output will be consumed by downstream industries and completion of the
sector’s value-chain.
The company
has signed contracts with foreign partners in this regard and the result of the
studies is ready to be submitted to the facility’s board of directors.
The plant
comprises two 1.35m tonnes/year methanol units, called Zagros I and II, and is
50% owned by the state-run National Petrochemical Company of Iran.
Other
shareholders include the National Iranian Oil Company Pension Fund (17%), Chimi
Pooshineh Industrial Group (16.5%) and Alyaf Morvarid Trading (16.5%).
Exporting 85
percent of its output to China, the facility is currently operating at 80% of
its nameplate capacity but will reach full production tilt after it completes a
turnaround.
Methanol is
used to make formaldehyde, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), methylamines,
methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acetic acid. It is also used as a solvent in
chemical industries.