23-01-2020

Another step closer to a world-leading methanol plant in Louisiana

Worley is delighted to continue its partnership with YCI Methanol One delivering plant commissioning and start-up services for their methanol plant development in Louisiana.

YCI Methanol One, a business venture between Shandong Yuhuang and Koch Methanol, will develop and operate a world-scale methanol plant using Air Liquide MegaMethanol® technology in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The US$1.8 billion greenfield plant is designed to produce 1.7 million metric tons of methanol per year.

Worley has been involved in the Methanol One project from day one. In December 2014, we were selected to provide Integrated Project Management Team (IPMT) services for Phase 1 of the development. As their project services partner, we worked as one integrated team with Yuhuang Chemical Inc. (YCI) in project and engineering management, project controls and planning, cost estimation, quality and HSE management, procurement and construction management. We also accompanied YCI during the front-end phases of the project including planning, funding security, and capital diligence.

Combining capabilities to offer superior value
The IPMT team’s working relationship with YCI and Worley’s expanded global capabilities paved the way for this opportunity. We created a superior solution for the project’s final phases by blending customer and project knowledge with our recently acquired commissioning start-up capability and local resources in Louisiana.

We are also providing digital solutions for asset information consolidation, plant installation verification, and equipment testing to ensure a seamless transition to plant operation and maintenance.

 “I am impressed with Worley’s professional capability and flexibility, including their large pool of resources and depth of experience in meeting the progressive and changing needs of our mega project development in the US.”  Dr. Charlie Yao, CEO of YCI

A partner from the start
“We take pride in accompanying YCI on their exciting journey to design, build and operate one of the most cost-competitive methanol plants in the world. The work we’re doing transcends project development and plant construction. Our strength is in providing holistic service offerings for our customers through long-term partnerships like this one.” says Raymond Chui, Worley’s key customer account manager for YCI. “This is a key reason why our customers choose Worley. That’s where our true value is.”

Construction is well underway, and the plant is expected to be fully operational and ready for production in late 2020.