The 1m tonne/year methanol project at the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone, Bandar Imam, is planned to start commercial production in May 2004. The complex entered commissioning phase in December 2003.
The project will include a 150,000 tonne/year acetic acid unit and a 140,000 tonne/year carbon monoxide unit. They are being implemented by Fanavaran Petrochemical Co., an NPC subsidiary.
The methanol plant will consume 610,000 tonne/year of natural gas and 330,000 tonne/year of CO2 which will be supplied locally.
Fanavaran will also operate the triple complex when it becomes fully operational.
NPC is also building two mega-methanol complexes in Pars Special Economic/Energy Zone in Assaluyeh. They have a combined capacity of 3.3m tonnes per year. They will consume natural gas and pure oxygen as feedstock, which will be supplied by South Pars gas field and Mobin Petrochemical Co. respectively.
NPC has two methanol facilities in operation in Kharg Island and Shiraz with a capacity of 740,000 tonne/year. With the buildup in capacity, Iran's combined methanol output will reach 3.4m tonnes per year by 2005 enabling it to boost its share of global methanol production.