Johnson Matthey has been awarded a contract by Methanex to supply a licence for a 5,000 mtpd ATR methanol technology flowsheet, including associated engineering, proprietary equipment, and catalyst supply. This is for the proposed third Methanex US methanol plant, a new build unit with a capacity of 1.8 million tonnes per annum. The facility will be located next to Methanex’s existing facilities in Geismar, Louisiana.
Pending a final investment decision (FID), expected in mid-2019, this would be the eighth Methanex plant in operation to use JM licensed methanol technology.
Johnson Matthey has the methanol technology which has been licensed for more than 45 years with over 90 plant licenses granted in that time. The world-scale syngas generation technology options include steam methane reforming, combined reforming, ATR and gas heated reforming that allows bespoke designs unique to each customer’s project requirements.
John Gordon, Managing Director at JM, said: “I’m delighted that Methanex has chosen Johnson Matthey’s technology for this potential third project in Louisiana. Having completed the initial engineering work, we will continue to support the project as it works towards FID. This is the continuation of a long-standing relationship over two decades between Methanex and JM relating to our catalysts and technology.”
