Kitimat Methanex dismantling contract cancelled by Chinese buyer

Kitimat

Updated Nov. 15, with Shell statement
The Chinese company that bought the plant and equipment at the Methanex site in Kitimat has cancelled the dismantling contract according to the company that was doing the work.

Blue Horizon Industries of Red Deer, issued a news release early Monday, Nov, 14, saying that Ko Yo Development had issued a termination notice of the contract. 

Blue Horizon’s parent firm BH Energy says it has

objected to the grounds for termination alleged by Ko Yo
and intends to vigorously enforce its rights and remedies under the
agreement and otherwise available at law against the contracting parties
for amounts owing to date as well as further damages.

Blue Horizon says it was in the final stages of dismantling an ammonia
plant and a methanol plant at Kitimat B. C. for Ko Yo and readying them
to be shipped to China.  The company says that from February 2011 to date, BH Energy has been
paid and or credited by Ko Yo approximately USD $15.9 million of the
$20.4 million contract.

Donald Allan, President and CEO of Blue Horizon, said “We are
disappointed that we will not be given the opportunity at Kitimat to
finish the job for Ko Yo, who are experiencing significant logistical
issues… He added the company would proceed with other projects in other areas.

Ko Yo Chemical (Group) Limited, formerly Ko Yo Ecological Agrotech (Group) Limited, is a Hong Kong based investment holding company. According to a company profile it is engaged in the research and development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of chemical products, chemical fertilizers and bulk blending fertilizers and has a natural gas energy utilization project at Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, China. The company has a number of subsidiaries with similar names.

The contract to dismantle the old Methanex plant was signed in February, 2011 and then renegotiated in September, 2011. (pdf)

Shell purchased the Methanex site and marine terminal in October, 2011, as part of its plans for a liquified natural gas facility at Kitimat. Shell spokesman Stephen Doolan told Northwest Coast Energy News  “The transaction … does not affect Shell’s purchase of the Cenovus property, nor is Shell involved in any way.”