23-24 Feb, 2010 - Muscat, OMAN
Crowne Plaza Muscat
Crowne Plaza Muscat
Supported by
Sultanate of Oman
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
"Industry outlook in light of new capacities"
The methanol industry suffered dramatic changes in recent times. From strong demand growth and unprecedented high prices, the situation drastically reversed as the global economic crisis impacted the sector. Continued weakness of the construction and automotive sectors in the US and Western Europe impacted on methanol consumption, resulting in reduced demand for chemical uses. Meanwhile, there was some mitigation provided by "new uses", such as DME in China for heating during winter and gasoline blending.
With methanol netbacks falling below production costs, Russian producers have been operating at reduced rates and extended maintenance/turnaround periods. They are serving local markets as high land freight costs and low methanol prices make them less competitive in export markets.
In China, significant capacity has shut down due to poor economics. Some coal-based producers have incurred negative margins whereas gas-based producers have suffered supply shortages during the winter. Natural gas supply for domestic heating is prioritized over chemical uses. Hence, record imports have been observed in the country, which has led to an antidumping investigation by the Chinese government. Imports from Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia could be affected.
Asia-Pacific, in particular China, is expected to continue to be the driver for methanol demand, mitigating slightly the slowdown of other major markets such as the US and Western Europe. In Oman, Oman Methanol's 3000 MTPD plant successfully started up in 2007 and Salalah Methanol's 3000 MTPD plant is set to come on-stream by April 2010. Also in the Middle East, Chemanol successfully start-up its 700 TPD plant at Al Jubail in 2009 (also co-producing CO) while EMethanex's 3600 MTPD plant at Damietta is slated for start up in April 2010.
From the technological angle, production growth of Methanol also spurred adoption of new processes and catalytic technologies for efficient production and deriving olefins and gasoline from Methanol. With a significant tranch of new capacity due on-stream, particularly in the Middle East and China, how are methanol suppliers and downstream players gearing up for the next 12 - 15 months? Will key emerging applications for methanol such as olefins, DME, gasoline and biodiesel provide markets for methanol, driving future growth? CMT's 5th Methanol Market Tech offers top industry panel to discuss issues and challenges ahead.
Attend CMT's 5th Methanol Markets & Tech to:
You will network with
Presidents - MDs - SVP - VPs - Commercial Directors/Advisors ; General Managers - Operations/Technical Sales Executives ; Purchasing/Procurement Executives from organizations including: Oil and Gas - Coal - Biomass - Petrochemicals - Methanol - Derivatives/Downstream - Formaldehyde, Acetic Acid, DME, MTBE, Biodiesel, Automotives and Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) - Technology/Catalysts/Additives
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech Conference is less than 2 weeks away and for those keen on participating should submit their registrations immediately.
The conference, which will meet at the Crowne Plaza Muscat, will offer participants an opportunity to:
The conference also offers over 6 hours of dedicated networking opportunities for attendees, who include executives from the following business sectors:
5th Methanol Markets & Tech offers a cost-effective platform to raise your company’s profile, confer with leading industry experts and stay updated on latest Methanol industry developments! Block your seats now as they are selling out fast. Simply >>CLICK HERE<< to register.
09 Feb, 2010
HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan has confirmed his participation at the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference, which meets in Muscat, OMAN on 23-24 Feb 2010.
HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan will deliver the opening address at the conference, and will touch on Oman’s strategic plans on methanol production and the downstream derivatives industry during his eagerly anticipated speech.
The minister’s address will set the tone for 3 key sessions on Oman’s nascent Methanol industry, including an essential update from the Salalah Methanol Company’s ambitious methanol production facility, and another update from Oman Methanol Company, who launched Oman’s first methanol facility in 2007.
The sessions include:
Salalah Methanol Company (SMC) began receiving natural gas supplies at its giant complex within the Salalah Free Zone in end 2009, marking a key phase in the development of the world-scale project. With the arrival of natural gas, the state-of-the-art facility enters the commissioning phase ahead of commercial production scheduled for early 2010. The country’s first methanol project, run by Oman Methanol Company LLC at the Port of Sohar, and the Salalah’ project will take the Sultanates’ combined methanol production capacity to an impressive two million tonnes per year.
Sohar Environmental Unit a new outfit formed in January 2009, and tasked with introducing international environmental safety standards in the industrial zone around Sohar will also be addressing the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference.Ibrahim Wadwadi, an Environmental Inspector at Sohar Environmental Unit will share an update on their program to “Ensure International Environmental Safety Standards in Methanol & Downstream Production”.
Don’t miss out on this essential Oman Methanol industry update at the 5th Methanol Markets& Tech conference on 23-24 Feb, 2010. Confirm your seats online! >>Click here to register now<<
28 Jan, 2010
With a significant tranche of new capacity due on-stream, particularly in the Middle East and China, how are methanol suppliers and downstream players gearing up for the next 12 - 15 months?
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference, held under the patronage of HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce & Industry of OMAN, will meet in Muscat on Feb 23-24, 2010 to address this key question. The conference will provide a comprehensive update on capacity, pricing and profitability developments across the Methanol Industry.
Muscat, OMAN- Dec. 7 /Press Release/ -- The methanol industry suffered dramatic changes in recent times. From strong demand growth and unprecedented high prices, the situation dramatically reversed when the global economic crisis hit the sector.
Weakness in the construction & automotive sectors demand in the US and Western Europe have made their impact on methanol demand for chemical uses, but some mitigation was provided by "new uses", such as DME for heating during winter and gasoline blending. Due to falling methanol netbacks, Russian producers have been operating at reduced rates and extended maintenance/turnaround periods and in China, significant capacity has shut down due to poor economics. Some coal-based producers in China have also incurred negative margins, and gas-based producers have suffered supply shortages during the winter.
In the mean time, record Methanol imports in China has led to an antidumping investigation by the Chinese government. Imports from Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia could be affected.
Held under the patronage of HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce & Industry of OMAN, the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech summit on 23-24 Feb 2010 aims to provide a view into how methanol suppliers and downstream players are gearing up for the next 12 - 15 months. Asia-Pacific, in particular China, is expected to continue to be the driver for methanol demand, but is only expected to slightly mitigate the slowdown caused by the US and Western Europe markets.
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference will also showcase latest developments in Oman's methanol industry with a keynote address by HE Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, and project updates from Oman Methanol and Salalah Methanol. The country's first methanol project, Oman Methanol's 3000 MTPD plant in Sohar commenced operations in October 2007. Oman's Salalah Methanol Company (SMC) began receiving natural gas supplies at its giant complex within the Salalah Free Zone in end 2009, entering the commissioning phase ahead of commercial production scheduled for early 2010. Both ventures will take the Sultanates' combined methanol production capacity to an impressive two million tonnes per year. and Salalah Methanol's 3000 MTPD plant is set to come on-stream by April 2010.
The conference has also invited Sohar Environmental Unit, a new outfit formed in January 2009, and tasked with introducing international environmental safety standards in the industrial zone around Sohar to discuss International Environmental Safety Standards in Methanol & Downstream Production in Oman.
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech agenda is set to reflect current realities in the Methanol industry attendance will offer executives an opportunity to:
- Engage personally with producers from Oman, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran and Azerbaijan
- Hear from the importers from Asia, Europe, Japan and assess demand/import requirements
- Assess the feedstock economics of coal, natural gas and other alternatives
- Optimize business portfolios across the value chain of methanol production, shipping and derivatives
- Keep abreast with the latest environmental standards in methanol production
- Evaluate utilization of Methanol-Gasoline Blending and the status of DME adoption
- Get updates on the Formaldehyde and Fuel Cell Markets, and its impact on methanol demand
- Gain the latest on freight and shipping markets.
- Network with key stakeholders including producers, exporters and importers, national oil companies, petrochemicals majors, ship owners, brokers and charterers and etc
The organizing team for the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference have recently released the full conference agenda, where key representatives of Nexant, Salalah Methanol Company, Oman Methanol Company LLC, Methanol Institute, Methanex, Clarksons, Sohar Environmental Unit, Johnson Matthey, Sud Chemie, Toyo Engineering and many more are contributing views and sharing updates.
Registrations for 5th Methanol Markets & Tech are now being accepted via an online registration form at http://www.cmtevents.com/?ev=100203. Interested parties can also email their enquiries on registrations, media partnerships and sponsorships to Ms. Angelia Lim, at Angelia@cmtsp.com.sg
14 Jan, 2010
Over 80 top Methanol industry executives from all over the world convened in Doha’s Sharq Village and Spa in February 2009 for the very successful 4th Methanol Markets & Tech conference. And now the conference is set to make a comeback in 2010.
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech will meet on 23-24 Feb. 2010 in Muscat- OMAN, to discuss the Methanol industry outlook in light of new capacities.
Next year's event will be a follow up to the 2009 conference, which paid close attention to volatilities in production & pricing, while offering multiple perspectives on strategising to remain profitable. This all-rounded approach has earned some very good feedback from participants at the conference, with many rating their experience at the 4th Methanol Markets and Tech conference as, “Excellent”.
The President of Libra Techon Ltd went on to add, “The conference provided in-depth insights on the latest technological and economic developments in the Methanol Field,” and commented that the “coverage on Methanol to fuels was very interesting.”
Others like the VP Product Management at LURGI shared that he particularly enjoyed the,
“crisp Conference program reflecting the current challenges to the industry”
The Superintendent of Methanol at Qatar Fuel Additives Company Limited summed up the conference as an, “Excellent Networking & Knowledge Gathering Experience”.
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech will set the bar higher with its in-depth coverage of key issues dominating the Methanol industry in 2010, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Watch this space for all the latest updates on the agenda and speakers at the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference as they are confirmed.
Those keen on participating at the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech as delegates, media partners, exhibitors and / or sponsors can submit your registrations, enquiries and proposals >>HERE<< or contact Ms. Grace Oh at +65 6346 9147 or email grace@cmtsp.com.sgfor more information.
21 Oct, 2009
The 5th Methanol Markets & Tech Conference is less than 2 weeks away and for those keen on participating should submit their registrations immediately. Want to know who you'll meet at the conference? Explore the profile of participants by >>Clicking here<<.
09 Feb, 2010
H.E. Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce & Industry of OMAN has just confirmed that he will be delivering the opening address at the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech conference, which meets in Muscat, OMAN on 23-24 Feb 2010. >>Read More Here<<
28 Jan, 2010
The methanol industry has suffered dramatic changes in 2008 and 2009. 5th Methanol Markets & Tech will explore the fundamental business drivers and their dynamics with respect to markets, pricing, technology and delivered cost competitiveness, to provide a comprehensive update on capacity, pricing and profitability developments. >>Find out more here<<
11 Dec, 2009
Past attendees at CMT's Methanol Markets & Tech conferences share their testimonials & reasons why the Methanol industry should converege in Muscat for the 5th Methanol Markets & Tech. >>Read more here...<<
20 Oct, 2009
Upcoming 5th Methanol Markets Conference meets in Muscat to overview future of methanol markets & impact of existing environment on derivatives & fuels markets. >>Click for more information & registration.<<
07 Oct, 2009
