At the 2014 Natural Gas Utilization Conference, ADI Analytics provided insights on natural gas utilization, specifically focusing on small-scale methanol technologies. They highlighted that converting natural gas to methanol presents a significant opportunity due to current commodity prices and the mature nature of large-scale conversion processes. Companies are actively responding to this opportunity, announcing several large-scale methanol plants in North America. Many of these plants aim to export their entire product to Asia.
The presentation also discussed the economic viability of small-scale methanol plants, despite their higher capital costs. They found this particularly true in regions like the Marcellus if plants can secure attractive natural gas prices. Finally, ADI cautioned investors in small-scale methanol plants to address technology risks and potentially lower regional demand.
A downloadable PDF is available for ADI Plus Enhanced and Enterprise subscribers.
