Methanol: Production
How Chinese coal came to dominate world capacity
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | nearly 148 Mt a year excluding integrated CTO/CTP (2024); China 51%, Middle East 27 Mt, Latin America 8% | Argus Methanol Analytics sample (Jun 2025) | |
| World output | 111.8 Mt (2024, including CTO) | Energy Aspects, MMSA data | |
| Capacity utilisation | about 70% industry average | China 60-70%, rest of world about 85% (Argus). Non-integrated Chinese MTO units idle when margins are negative; Methanex's 860 kt Titan unit in Trinidad was set to idle from end-Q3 2026. | Argus (2025); Energy Aspects Q3 2026 |
| Concentration | China 51% of capacity; top-10 producers under 30% of world capacity | Country concentration is high, firm concentration low because China has many coal-chemical producers. | Argus (2025); S&P Global CEH Methanol (Feb 2026) |
| New capacity | about 15 Mt outside China in 2025-2029, plus 3.2 Mt of additions in 2026 | New plants in Iran, the US and Malaysia (Argus). Low-carbon pipeline of about 42.5 Mt by 2030 across 250+ projects, with 18.9 Mt in Argus's base case; Kassø e-methanol (42 kt, 2025); Sungas Renewables bio-methanol in Louisiana (FID, target 2028); EM-Numancia in Spain (EUR 320 million, priority status Oct 2026). | Argus (2025); CRU BCInsight (Oct 2026) |
Top producing countries
China 51% · about 75 Mt capacity (51% of 148 Mt) Middle East (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain) 18% · 27 Mt capacity United States 8% · about 12.2 Mt capacity (Argus plant list, excluding Canada and Mexico) Latin America (Trinidad, Venezuela, Chile) 8% · about 12 Mt capacity- Russia: not verified
- Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei): not verified; Malaysia is in the expansion pipeline
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methanex largest merchant seller; total capacity not verified; 860 kt Titan idled from end-Q3 2026 (Energy Aspects) | Canada | 4.64 Mt capacity at Geismar 1-3 (4.0) and Medicine Hat (0.64) alone; also Trinidad, Chile, New Zealand, Egypt | 2025 | Argus plant list (Jun 2025) |
| Koch Methanol | US | 1.7 Mt capacity (St James, Louisiana) | 2025 | Argus (2025) |
| Fairway Methanol joint venture serving Celanese acetyls (indicative) | US | 1.7 Mt capacity (Clear Lake, Texas) | 2025 | Argus (2025) |
| Natgasoline | US | 1.65 Mt capacity (Beaumont, Texas) | 2025 | Argus (2025) |
| LyondellBasell | US | 1.46 Mt capacity (Channelview 0.78, Deer Park 0.68) | 2025 | Argus (2025) |
| Zagros Petrochemical and other Iranian producers Iran is in the Argus expansion pipeline; exports constrained by sanctions | Iran | not published | 2025 | not verified |
| Chinese coal-chemical groups (e.g. CHN Energy, Baofeng) mostly captive for CTO | China | not published | 2025 | not verified |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assam Petrochemicals (APL) commissioned May 2024; gas from Oil India at $6.5/MMBtu APM price; net loss Rs 304 crore in FY2025 | India | 0.165 Mt a year (500 t/day plant at Namrup, plus an old 100 t/day unit) | 2025 | The Sentinel Assam (10 Sep 2025); tonnes a year derived at 330 days |
| Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals (GNFC) Crisil (2026) says most Indian plants have cut rates or shut because imports are cheaper | India | not published | 2026 | named as a main producer by NITI Aayog; capacity not verified |
| Deepak Fertilisers, RCF, NFL national capacity was only 0.474 Mt in 2015-16 | India | not published | 2026 | named by NITI Aayog; capacity not verified |
India imported about 3.4 Mt in calendar 2025 (S&P Global) and 3.57 Mt in FY2026, about 98% of its needs (Crisil). Oman supplied about 1.6 Mt in 2025 and Saudi Arabia 0.95 Mt. Domestic plants on imported LNG cannot compete; coal gasification under a Rs 37,500 crore programme is the government's answer (Crisil, 2026).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Gas-based capacity of about 12.9 Mt (Argus) on Henry Hub gas; a net exporter, about 21% of world exports in 2025 (Crisil). |
| EU | High-cost producer on TTF gas; demand growth below 1% in 2026 (Energy Aspects); BASF declared force majeure at Ludwigshafen in July 2026 (ChemAnalyst). |
| India | About 98% import dependent; Hormuz disruption in 2026 cut Middle East supply to India by 82% y/y in May and pushed domestic prices up 182% (Crisil, Jul 2026). |
| China | Largest producer and consumer; still imports about 15 Mt a year, much of it from Iran (Energy Aspects). |
| Japan | Imports most needs; 1.5 Mt demand (Argus 2024); buyers are interested in low-carbon methanol for fuel. |
| Middle East | About 28% of world exports in 2025; in 2026 Qatar and SABIC declared force majeure and over 4.5 Mt of production was estimated to be affected by end-May (Crisil, Jul 2026). |