Methanol Prices Rise in Asia–Pacific Market

摘要

Market prices for methanol are climbing in the Asia–Pacific. A number of major factors are at play here, including issues with production facilities, a shortage of gas raw materials in China over winter, and rising methanol imports due to high operating rates at methanol-to-olefin (MTO) plants. Going forward, however, this increase could come to a halt depending on how market conditions for ethylene pan out. Over the course of February–April last year, the mean Asian spot price for methanol – determined by averaging out prices in major markets like China and Southeast Asia – fell down to the $160–$180 per ton range. But now, as of mid-January 2021, the average price in the region has climbed up to around $360 per ton.