Since 2009 American industrial natural gas consumption has been growing steadily. Due to the low price, more and more industrial users choose natural gas as raw materials for chemical production. American Energy Information Administration (EIA) said the latest report released last week, the methanol plant and ammonia / urea as raw material in chemical fertilizer plant has become the most intensive use of natural gas terminal user, many plants use quantity more than 100000000 cubic feet per day. It is because of the low price of natural gas, and close to the shale resource producing areas, North America area will also plans to build a plurality of shale gas as raw material in petrochemical production facilities.

This year, the United States will have two methanol plant put into use, the smaller the factory is located in the state of Texas Pampa, another Geismar in Louisiana state. In addition, there are several chemical fertilizer plant was put into operation later this year in Texas, a fertilizer plant near Beaumont will also carry out capacity expansion. These factories are located in the regions along the Gulf of Mexico, and close to the shale development in the Marcellus, Buchan and Niobrara area.

In 2015 the United States will also have two large chemical facilities in operation, one is the Clear Lake of methanol plant is located in the state of Texas, another is the fertilizer / urea plant in Iowa Wever, thus promote the continued growth in demand for natural gas industry. EIA predicts that by 2015 the U.S. natural gas industry demand will continue to increase, the growth rate of 4%, 21300000000 cubic feet per day increased from 2014 to 2015 22100000000 cubic feet per day.

Shale gas developers also hope to downstream users to be able to make full use of abundant natural gas in North Dakota shale project produced by Buchan, suggested in North Dakota in 2018 two new synthetic ammonia fertilizer plant. Put forward the agricultural cooperative company CHS Spiritwood Northern Plains Nitrogen suggests that plant and big Fawkes plant is currently in the stage of examination and approval. According to the Bentek energy estimation, design production capacity of the two projects are synthetic ammonia 2400 tons / day, and will consume 100000000 cubic feet of gas per day.

In addition, there are two 2018 of the proposed project is located in the Northwest pacific. A China Company is planning in the construction of Columbia River Basin in the state of Washington and Oregon two methanol production facilities. The company hopes to convert methanol to export to the United States production to Asia market.