Spot methanol prices hit a new low during the year

According to the data, as of December 26, the domestic average price of methanol was 2,567 yuan/ton, which was the lowest in the year.

Since October of this year, the spot price of methanol in China has dropped one after another, and it has dropped 7.48%. At present, the price of methanol in Shandong is 2400-2550 yuan/ton, in Hebei region it has dropped to 2400-2450 yuan/ton, in Shanxi region it has dropped to 2350-2470 yuan/ton, and in East China, the port price has dropped to 2690-2790 yuan/ton.

At the same time as the price of methanol fell, the price of coal in the upper reaches also fell. At present, the Bohai Rim thermal coal index is 634 yuan/ton, compared with 807.5 yuan/ton at the beginning of the year. In addition to lack of cost support, the downstream performance is also relatively weak. As the main traditional downstream industry of methanol, formaldehyde is affected by the regulation of real estate. The national operating rate of the dimethyl ether industry is about 38.47%. The transaction price of the manufacturers in the Hebei region has now reached the cost line. Some manufacturers have reduced their burdens and parked. The acetic acid market has also dropped 11.35% since October this year. The current domestic average price is 2890 yuan/ton.

Business analyst Wang Min believes that the winter is the traditional low season of methanol, the future supply will further increase, the trend is not optimistic. From January to November of 2012, the cumulative production of methanol in China was 23.753 million tons, an increase of 30.8% from the same period of last year. In early 2013, it is expected that the 600,000 tons of equipment of Shaanxi Lutianhua and 600,000 tons of equipment of Jinchengtai will be put into operation one after another. However, in the medium and long term, the development of alcohol ether fuels and methanol to olefins is expected to drive the methanol industry out of the trough.