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Japanese translation

US Methanol JV Commences Production of Methanol Derived from CO2

Jan. 10, 2024

Fairway Methanol LLC, a US-based 50-50 joint venture between Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui", Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori) and Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials and chemical company, has begun the production of methanol by using carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from plants surrounding the joint venture's facility. Fairway Methanol is expected to capture 180 thousand metric tons of CO₂ and produce 130 thousand metric tons of low-carbon methanol per year, which leads its annual production capacity to 1.63 million metric tons per year.

This additional methanol production, using industry-derived CO₂, is one of the carbon capture and utilization (CCU) projects that Mitsui has undertaken. The concept behind these projects considers CO₂ as a resource that can be reused as a raw material, thus realizing carbon recycling and helping to reduce CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. This project provides Mitsui with another low-carbon solution in its methanol business portfolio, following the bio-methanol (mass-balance basis) production at Fairway Methanol and the e-methanol production at Solar Park Kasso, Denmark.

In its Medium-term Management Plan 2026, Mitsui has identified Global Energy Transition as one of its Key Strategic Initiatives. In the course of building a next-generation fuel value chain, we assume that CCU fosters circularity by using emitted CO₂ to create various chemical products that can reduce the need for fossil fuels and thereby contributes to the sustainable development of the whole of society.

Mitsui’s Materiality

“Build brighter futures, everywhere” as our corporate mission, and to gain the trust and expectations of our stakeholders to realize a better tomorrow for earth and for people around the world, we have identified six material issues (“Materiality”) for Mitsui’s sustainable growth. We anticipate this particular project/ business to contribute especially to the realization of “Establish a foundation for sustainable and stable supply” and “Create a community coexisting with nature” and “Foster a well-being society”