The MTO Gas Chemical Complex (MTO GCC) signed an agreement with the Air Products on the processing of industrial gases with an aim to build a methanol production plant, the MTO chemical complex said.

This facility, named also as Methanol Island, will have an annual capacity of 1.34 million tons of products and will become part of the MTO GCC in Uzbekistan, the company added.

The facility will be built in the Karakul free economic zone in Bukhara province of Uzbekistan on 15 hectares. The planned commissioning date is 2025, and the expected service life is 25 years.

Reportedly, the technologies applied at the MTO GCC make it possible to process natural gas specific to Uzbekistan with a low content of valuable components into high value-added polymer products, with an annual capacity of more than 1.1 million tons per year.

MTO GCC will produce: 

• PP (250 thousand tons per year), used for the production of artificial fibers, electrical engineering and automotive components;
• LDPE (80 thousand tons per year), which is a raw material for the production of pipes, insulating materials, packaging and food films, moldings;
• ethylene vinyl acetate (100 thousand tons per year), used for the production of floor coverings, shoes and sports equipment;
• polyethylene terephthalate (300 thousand tons per year), which can also be used for the production of containers, films and synthetic fibers;
• HDPE (280 thousand tons per year), which will be used for the production of pipes and fittings, barrels and fuel cans, freezer containers, safety helmets and furniture fittings.

The company added that the plant will ensure a stable supply of methanol, hydrogen and other technical gases, in particular oxygen and nitrogen, which are necessary for the production processes of the MTO GCC.

“We are delighted to partner with Air Products, the world's leading industrial gases company. Air Products has established itself as a reliable supplier of proven solutions that can guarantee us both the high quality and the required volume of the products we need. Air Products' investments demonstrate the degree of interest shown by international companies in the prospects for the industrial development of Uzbekistan,” said Masrur Shakirov, General Director of MTO GCC.

When completed, the Methanol Island facilities will include a Hydrogen Plant and an Air Separation Plant that will produce primarily hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, as well as a methanol production plant to produce synthesis gas and further convert it to methanol. The process is based on Haldor Topsoe technology.