Nakhodka methanol project puts first-stage budget at RUB227bn
NZMU puts its first-stage budget at RUB227 billion as methanol plant construction advances. Equipment installation and infrastructure work continue in Nakhodka.
Nakhodka Mineral Fertilizer Plant (NZMU) has put investment in its first construction stage at RUB227 billion, including RUB77 billion already spent, chief operating officer Victor Grebenyukov said. The project in Primorsky Territory, Russia, involves more than 160 companies, with contracts exceeding RUB10 billion. The first stage is scheduled for commissioning in late 2025 to early 2026, followed by its planned methanol capacity in 2027.
Equipment installation advances
By Feb 25, 2025, the site had 38 equipment units installed, including 18 placed since the beginning of the year. Five columns were on their foundations. Installed systems included natural gas desulfurization, a prereformer, water cooling, raw methanol separation and air separation. The primary reformer is designed to contain 12 large modules and more than 11,000 steel components. Its furnace convection section was complete, while assembly of the radiation section continued. Construction details
Infrastructure still on the work programme
The company's construction priorities for 2025 extend beyond installing production equipment. Its programme includes completing:
- the marine terminal;
- a seawater desalination unit;
- the substation;
- the main gas pipeline.
The plant's design provides for processing up to 3.15 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually. Grebenyukov described an installation pace of two equipment units a week over the preceding four months and expected the plant to attain its planned capacity by 2027.
Earlier heavy-lift milestones
By Nov 19, 2024, eight equipment units had been mounted within a month. Four columns had arrived at Nakhodka port at the end of September; the first, a 34-metre raw methanol stabilization column, went onto its foundation two weeks after delivery. The heaviest column weighed 490 tonnes, while the tallest reached 72 metres. Special cranes were brought to the construction site for these lifts. All four columns, three main methanol synthesis units and a circulating gas separator were in place.
At that November stage, 6,000 people were working on the project. Contractors from Primorye and Nakhodka employed local residents, Grebenyukov noted. Site preparation was nearing completion alongside foundation pouring, rebar cage manufacturing and aboveground civil works. His installation-rate description at the time was at least one equipment unit each week. November construction milestones
Two production stages
NZMU is the anchor resident of the Nakhodka advanced special economic zone. First-stage construction began in September 2021; work on the export terminal started in 2023. Planned annual capacities are 1.8 million tonnes of methanol for stage one and 3 million tonnes of urea for stage two. Overall private investment is planned at RUB445 billion.
Moscow-based ChemProject owns and manages NZMU; RusChem, formerly Russian Hydrogen, has managed ChemProject since Feb 14, 2025. Project financing and schedule
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