Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 29
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
SOCAR Methanol LLC, the methanol plant of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, is being overhauled, said the company’s Director General Elnur Mustafayev.
Mustafayev made the remarks at the fourth international conference in Baku titled “Oil refining and petrochemistry of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia” Nov. 29.
“According to the production plan, this year production at the plant has lasted seven months,” he said.
"During this period, 265,000 tons of products were produced at the plant, which is 6 percent more than it was planned upon the production plan,” Mustafayev said. “Today, the plant is being overhauled to reach high productivity in further years."
"Since the beginning of activity, 2017 has been the most successful year as we managed to ensure stable operations within seven months and successfully implement the principle of zero incidents in production,” he said.
"In early 2017, we conducted an independent technological audit, which allowed us to adjust the plan of repair operations,” Mustafayev said. “We were able to solve the problem with the natural gas supply."
SOCAR Methanol plant’s products are successfully sold in the international markets.
"We have obtained a certificate of compliance and are ready to sell our methanol both in the domestic and foreign markets," he added.
Production at Azerbaijan’s methanol plant, the only plant of this kind in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, was launched in January 2014.
The plant’s annual capacity is 650,000-700,000 tons. SOCAR acquired the plant from the Aqrarkredit non-bank credit organization. The plant’s cost was estimated at $520 million.