Celanese and Mitsui ink pact for methanol plant in Texas

Celanese Corporation, the US-based specialty materials company, and Japan’s Mitsui & Co have entered into an exclusive arrangement to explore a joint venture for methanol production at Celanese’s integrated chemical plant in Bishop, Texas.
 
The potential methanol unit at Bishop is expected to have an annual capacity of 1.3 million tonnes and would leverage the design benefits of the Clear Lake, Texas methanol unit that is currently under construction. Celanese has filed for air permits with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a potential methanol unit in Bishop, Texas and a final decision to build the unit will consider several factors, including prevailing methanol market conditions as well as construction costs.
 
The companies also entered into an amended five year arrangement for Celanese to purchase methanol from Mitsui, upon completion of the methanol unit at their joint venture in Clear Lake, Texas. Start-up of the unit is expected in October 2015.