In May this year, Brunei Methanol Company (BMC) – an international joint venture between Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MGC, 50% shareholding), ITOCHU Corporation (25%) and the Brunei National Petroleum Company (25%) – began commercial shipments of methanol.
The methanol plant was opened by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam¹ in a ceremony held on May 25. The joint venture was established in March 2006, the production plant was completed in December 2009 and production commenced in April 2010, with an annual production capacity of 850,000 tons, and the plant employs some 190 personnel.
Methanol is an important primary material for chemical industries and provides a wide variety of derivatives including formalin and acetic acid. In the future, methanol is expected to be applied to a range of new applications, including use in bio-diesel fuel and dimethyl ether (DME). Supplied with natural gas by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, BMC employs proprietary processing technology developed jointly by MGC and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
Global demand for methanol is growing at around five percent annually. BMC is ideally located to supply its major export markets in Asia and expectations are high that it will produce a competitive product, bring added value to society and further contribute to industrial growth in the Sultanate. BMC will also enable MGC to expand its presence in the global methanol industry. |
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