Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The gas chemical complex based on MTO technology (GCC MTO), an innovative leader in the production of polymers in Central Asia, has signed an agreement with Air Products to process industrial gases to build a methanol production plant. This facility, known as "Methanol Island", will have a capacity of 1.34 million tons per year and will become part of the gas chemical complex for the production of olefins from methanol in Uzbekistan.

The facility will be built in the Karakul Free Economic Zone, located in Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, on an area of 15 hectares. The planned commissioning date is 2025, and the expected service life is 25 years.

Unlike traditional complexes based on the MTO technology, which use less environmentally friendly coal as a feedstock, the world’s advanced innovative technologies applied at the MTO Mining and Chemical Combine allow processing natural gas specific to Uzbekistan with a low content of valuable components into polymer products with high added value, with with a production capacity of more than 1,110,000 tons per year.

GCC MTO will produce:

- Polypropylene (250,000 tons per year), used for the production of artificial fibers, electrical engineering and automotive components.

- Low-density polyethylene (80,000 tons per year), which is a raw material for the production of pipes, insulating materials, packaging and food films, moldings.

- Ethylene vinyl acetate (100,000 tons per year) used for the production of floor coverings, shoes and sports equipment.

- Polyethylene terephthalate (300,000 tons per year), which can also be used for the production of containers, films and synthetic fibers.

- High-density polyethylene (280,000 tons per year), which will be used for the production of pipes and fittings, barrels and fuel cans, freezer containers, safety helmets, furniture fittings.

Local production will help Uzbekistan achieve its goal of economic diversification, import substitution and potential export of products to other regions.

The methanol production plant will provide a stable supply of methanol, hydrogen and other technical gases, in particular oxygen and nitrogen, which are necessary for the production processes of the MTO Gas Chemical Complex.

Masrur Shakirov, General Director of the MTO Gas Chemical Complex, stated: “We are pleased to cooperate with Air Products, the world’s leading industrial gas company, as a partner. Air Products has established itself as a reliable provider of proven solutions that can guarantee us both the high quality and the volume of products we need. The Air Products investment demonstrates the degree of interest shown by international companies in the prospects for the industrial development of Uzbekistan.”

The official signing ceremony took place at the Tashkent Congress Hall.

Once completed, facilities on Methanol Island will include the following areas:

- Hydrogen production shop and Air Separation Plant, which will produce mainly hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

- Plant for the production of methanol for the production of synthesis gas and its further conversion into methanol. The process is based on Haldor Topsoe technology.