Topsoe lays foundation for first ever integrated methanol and ammonia plant in Russia  

On May 20, a foundation stone laying ceremony was held at the construction site of a new methanol ammonia co-production plant for the petrochemical company Shchekinoazot – one of the largest producers of chemicals in Russia. The new plant, which is located in the Tula region of Russia, will be the first ever in the world using Haldor Topsoe A/S’s (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) IMAP (Integrated Methanol and Ammonia Production) technology. IMAP is a technology that takes cost advantage from large production facilities and provides the option of making multiple products at a relatively smaller scale to meet market demands. The capacity of the plant will be 1,350 metric tons per day (m.t./d) of methanol and 415 m.t./d of ammonia. Basic design is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2014, and start-up is planned for 2017. Topsoe’s late founder, Dr. Haldor Topsøe, began cooperation with Shchekinoazot in 2007, and since then the company has successfully been operating methanol and hydrogen plants designed and built using Topsoe’s technology, equipment, and catalysts. “Design and construction of the new unit is the next step in the cooperation between our companies,” said Boris Sokol, president…