Germany Places Order for Iranian Methanol

An unnamed German company has preordered a batch of methanol to be produced in Marjan Petrochemical Complex in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone near Asalouyeh, managing director of the zone said.

“Marjan Petrochemical Company has received an order for selling methanol to a German firm,” Hassan Beigi was quoted as saying by NIPNA, the NPC’s official news agency, on Saturday.

He did not refer to the volume of order or its delivery date, but the order comes as Marjan complex is still under development.

"The construction of Marjan complex has made over 96% physical progress," Beigi said, adding that the complex is planned to start production in the current Iranian year that ends in March 2018.

Marjan Petrochemical Complex is designed to produce 1.65 million tons of methanol once it becomes fully operational. It will receive feedstock from South Pars refineries.

In addition to Marjan, the first phase of Bushehr Petrochemical Complex and Kaveh Methanol Company, set to become the world's biggest methanol plant, is expected to go on stream in the current Iranian year.

Officials say Iran’s total methanol production capacity will double following the launch of the three methanol plans, exceeding 10 million tons per year.

Marjan and Kaveh plants were initially slated for launch in 2016.

The Petrochemical Research and Technology Company of Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last month with France's Air Liquide Engineering and Construction Company on transferring state-of-the-art technology to convert methanol to propylene. Plans call for increasing total production of propylene to 4 million tons per annum in 2021 and 8 million tons within the next decade.

Iran is forecast to produce 56 million tons of petrochemicals by March 2018, almost 10% higher than last year's level that exceeded the 50-million-ton mark. Nominal production capacity is set to reach 72 million tons.