STATOIL OUTLINES MTBE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Norway's state oil company Den norkse state oljeselskap AS has outlined plans to become one of the major European producers of methyl tertiary butyl ether in the 1990s. Statoil predicts European demand for MTBE will jump to 4.5 million metric tons/year by 2000 from 2.5 million tons in 1990. Europe currently is a net importer of MTBE, with a productive capacity of 2.2 million tons/year. Statoil has approved a 48,000 ton/year MTBE unit at its Stenungsund petrochemical complex in Sweden and a

Nov. 25, 1991

3 min read

Norway's state oil company Den norkse state oljeselskap AS has outlined plans to become one of the major European producers of methyl tertiary butyl ether in the 1990s.

Statoil predicts European demand for MTBE will jump to 4.5 million metric tons/year by 2000 from 2.5 million tons in 1990.

Europe currently is a net importer of MTBE, with a productive capacity of 2.2 million tons/year.

STATOIL MTBE PLANS

Statoil has approved a 48,000 ton/year MTBE unit at its Stenungsund petrochemical complex in Sweden and a worldscale 500,000 ton/year MTBE plant next to the Statpipe gas terminal at Karsto, north of Stavanger.

Also under consideration are a 50,000 ton/year unit at the Mongstad refinery, north of Bergen, Norway, and a plant with a capacity targeted at 500,000 tons/year or more at Antwerp.

The Stenungsund unit is expected to go on stream in 1993 at a cost of 155 million (Swedish) kroner (23.5 million).

The unit at Karsto will cost 2.7 billion kroner ($409 million) and is scheduled to be on line by May 1, 1995.

Statoil chose Karsto for an MTBE plant because of captive isobutane feedstock and existing shipping facilities that could be adapted for methanol imports.

Statoil chose UOP processes to isomerize butane, dehydrogenate isobutane, synthesize MTBE, and remove oxygenates at the Karsto plant. The process package also will use Huels AG's complete saturation process.

The plant proposed for Statoil's Mongstad refinery will cost about the same as the Swedish unit.

Plans for manufacturing MTBE at Antwerp are at a less advanced stage. Currently, Statoil is looking at a 100% owned operation, but the possibility of taking a partner has not been ruled out.

CAPTIVE METHANOL FEEDSTOCK

In addition, Statoil soon may have its own methanol feedstock supply for the MTBE network.

The Norwegian government is near approving long delayed plans by Statoil, in partnership with Conoco Norway, to build an 830,000 metric ton/year methanol plant at Tjeldbergodden in Central Norway.

The plant, costing 2.4 billion kroner ($363.6 million), is due on stream in fourth quarter 1996. It will be owned 80% by Statoil with Conoco holding the remainder.

Once fully operational, the unit will consume 24.7 bcf/year of natural gas feedstock from the Conoco operated Heidrun field currently under development on the Haltenbanken off Central Norway. It will be the biggest methanol plant in Europe. The unit will be designed for modular expansion to 1 million tons/year to accommodate gas from Norske Shell's Draugen field if available.

Until the methanol is available from Central Norway, Statoil will buy feedstock for MTBE on the open market.