Thursday, June 21

Methanex may fire up idle Waitara plant : NZ

Methanex is looking to refire the Waitara Valley methanol plant within the next 12 months, bringing its operations back to full capacity for the first time in a decade.

On a visit to New Zealand from Vancouver yesterday, Methanex Corporation chief executive Bruce Aitken told the Taranaki Daily News there was a "very high" probability Methanex would restart the Waitara Valley plant, which has sat idle since 2008.

A final decision would be made by the end of the year, he said.

"We spend hundreds of millions of dollars running these plants so we need to make a good decision," Aitken said.

He added he wanted Methanex's two Waitara methanol facilities operating at full capacity – which hasn't been seen since 2003.

"That's what they've done in the past and that's what we plan to do in the future."

If the Waitara Valley plant did begin production again methanol output would be about 500,000 tonnes annually and up to 50 jobs would be created, Aitken said.
Methanex employs about 160 people at its Motunui facility.

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Stuff.co.nz

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