Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Methanex Corporation is the world’s largest supplier of methanol to North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. Around two-thirds of all methanol demand is used to produce traditional chemical derivatives, including formaldehyde, acetic acid and a variety of other chemicals that form the basis of a large number of chemical derivatives for which demand is influenced by levels of global economic activity. The remaining one-third of methanol demand comes from energy-related applications. Methanol is also used to produce methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline component, and an emerging application is for methanol demand into olefins.

Methanex generated $3,723 million in revenues in 2023. Its sales volume was roughly 11.2 million tons of methanol for 2023.

Methanex’s total annual production capacity, including its equity interests in jointly owned plants, is 7.6 million tons. Methanex purchases methanol from others under contract and on the spot market to meet customer requirements. The company sells methanol through a global marketing and distribution system.

Methanex currently operates production sites in New Zealand, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, Canada and Chile. It has marketing rights for 100% of the production from the jointly-owned plants in Trinidad and Egypt that provides it with an additional 1.3 million tons of methanol offtake supply annually when the plants are operating at full capacity.

Apart from the methanol made at its production sites, the company also purchases methanol manufactured by others under methanol offtake contracts and on the spot market. This gives it the flexibility in managing supply chain while continuing to address customer needs.

Methanex completed the restart of its Chile IV plant in October 2018. The plant had been idle since 2007. In August 2018, Methanex signed natural gas supply agreements for its Chile operations. Notably, the gas agreements will allow the company for a two-plant operation in Chile during summer months in the southern hemisphere and up to a maximum of 75% of a two-plant operation annually till mid-2020. Methanex expects to secure sufficient gas supply without seasonal restrictions to continue its two-plant operation.