Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company　Inc. (MGC), Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) have signed an agreement with state-owned National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (NGC) and Massy Holdings Ltd. (Massy) for the construction of a methanol and dimethyl ether plant in Trinidad and Tobago, and have concluded contracts for EPC (engineering, procurement and construction), gas supply, and relevant land leases.

Discussions are currently underway with a syndicate of Japanese banks for finalizing the loan agreement.

Methanol is made mainly from natural gas and is used in a wide range of products, including adhesive agents, agricultural chemicals, paints, synthetic resins, and synthetic raw materials. Dimethyl ether can be used as a substitute for LPG or as a substitute for diesel in automobiles and in power generation, and has therefore been receiving a lot of attention as a source of next-generation clean energy. Methanol produced under the project will be marketed worldwide by MGC, MC and Massy. The partners will also work closely with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to promote the use of dimethyl ether as a substitute for diesel in Trinidad and Tobago and in other Caribbean countries. Plant design and construction will be undertaken by MHI under an EPC contract with the parties.

 

 

＜About this project＞

Name	Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (est. March 2013)
Location	La Brea, Union Estate Industrial Estate
Main products (capacity)	Methanol (1 million tons per annum) Dimethyl ether (20 thousand tons per annum)
Total Investment	Roughly US$ 1,000 million
Capital	About US$ 300million
Investment Ratio	Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc., 26.25% Mitsubishi Corporation, 26.25% Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, 17.5% National Gas Company, 20.0% Massy, 10.0%
Scheduled Completion Date	June 2018
Start Date	October 2018

 

 

〔Reference Information〕

1. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc.

Headquarters	2-5-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8324 Japan
Main Business	Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company manufactures and sells a wide variety of products from basic chemical products to fine chemicals and functional raw materials and has established a positive record in the development of gas fields.
Representative	Toshikiyo Kurai, Representative Director & President
Date Established	April 21, 1951
No. of Employees	5,445 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2014)

 

2. Mitsubishi Corporation

Headquarters	2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Main Business	Mitsubishi is active in a wide variety of activities on a global scale. Mitsubishi’s business activities include: global environmental and infrastructure; industrial finance; logistics and development; energy; metals; machinery; chemicals; living essentials; and business services.
Representative	Ken Kobayashi, President and CEO
Year Established	1950
No. of Employees	68,383 (consolidated, as of March 31、2014)

 

3. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

Headquarters	2-16-5 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Main Business	Engineering, manufacture and sale of ships, power systems, environmental improvement equipment, industrial machinery, aircraft, space systems, air-conditioner, etc.
Representative	Shunichi Miyanaga, President
Founded	January 1950
No. of Employees	80,583 (consolidated, as of March 31, 2014)

 

4. National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd.

Headquarters	Orinoco Drive, Point Lisas Industrial Estate, Couva, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies
Main Business	Natural gas marketing and transportation, and LNG marketing
Representative	Roop Chan Chadeesingh, Chairman
Year Established	1975
No. of Employees	743 (consolidated, as of December 31, 2013)

 

5. Massy Holdings Ltd.

Headquarters	63 Park Street, Port of Spain, Trinidad &Tobago, West Indies
Main Business	Undertakes a wide range of business throughout the Caribbean, including wholesale, real estate, automobile sales and maintenance, supply of industrial gas, hotel management, etc.
Representative	Robert Bermudez, Chairman
Year Established	1932
Total employee	10,561

 

6. What is Methanol?

As a basic chemical, methanol is used in the production of a range of downstream products, and is used as a raw material in the making of traditional petrochemicals, including formaldehyde and acetic acid. Methanol is also widely used in energy applications, such as gasoline blending and DME, as well as in the production of olefins (methanol-to-olefin).

 

7. What is Dimethyl Ether?

DME (Dimethyl Ether) is a form of liquefied gas that can be made from natural gas or from other raw materials such as coal or biomass. Similar to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), DME does not emit particulate matter (PM) or sulfur oxides (SOx) during combustion due to the absence of sulfur. In addition, its properties do not include nitrogen oxide (NOx) or carbon dioxide (CO₂), making DME an attractive source for next generation clean energy.