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Methanol, China (coal)
Ordos, Mongolie-Intérieure, China39.60°N 109.98°E
computed criticality17/100
reading
China ~60% of global methanol output (coal-based)
2024Fault line
Methanol, a base building block of chemistry (formaldehyde, olefins via MTO, fuels), is nearly two-thirds made in China from coal, a process specific to its geology. That dominance ties the world price of a key intermediate to Chinese coal.
Actors
Chinese producers (Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi)
Methanex (outside China)
Sources