NW Innovation Works (Northwest Innovation Works or NWIW) is an American company proposing

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

refineries in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

region. The company refers to itself as a clean tech company.

Company history

The company was founded in 2011 by the Pan-Pacific Energy Corp, owned by Shanghai Bi Ke Clean Energy Technology Co., Ltd, the private equity arm of the government-owned

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

, and BP, who later sold their share of the company.

Johnson Matthey Johnson Matthey plc is a British multinational speciality chemicals and sustainable technologies company headquartered in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Early year ...

joined in 2015, and by 2016, a shareholder was

Stonepeak Partners Stonepeak (also known as Stonepeak Partners and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners) is an American investment firm headquartered in New York City. The firm focuses on investments in infrastructure and more recently real estate. The firm has addi ...

, a private equity firm managing over $5 billion in equity in 2016. The

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

feedstock, typically produced by

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

and supplied through the Northwest Pipeline, would go through a methane reforming process to produce

liquid methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth make ...

, which would be shipped to

Dalian, China Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...

for plastics production.

Proposed facilities

Tacoma, Washington

After lobbying on a 2013 Chinese trade mission by Washington State's governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee ( ; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician and lawyer who served from 2013 to 2025 as the 23rd governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2012 as a ...

, NWIW announced plans to build "the world's largest methanol plant" in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, at the site of a former

Kaiser Aluminum Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is an American aluminum producer. It is a spinoff from Kaiser Aluminum and Chemicals Corporation, which came to be when common stock was offered in Permanente Metals Corporation and Permanente Metals Corporation's na ...

smelter. The plant was announced in 2014 and canceled in 2016 after protests and lawsuits.

Kalama, Washington

NWIW announced their planned liquid methanol plant at the Port of Kalama in

Kalama, Washington Kalama () is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,959 as of the 2020 census. Etymology James W. Phillips' ''Washington State Place Nam ...

. The company touts this refinery as reducing

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

by displacing coal plants in China, though the

Stockholm Environment Institute Stockholm Environment Institute, or SEI, is a non-profit, independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development and environmental issues, with seven affiliate offices around the world. SEI works on climate change, en ...

and others dispute this, stating greenhouse gas emissions would increase, displacing sources other than coal plants. The Kalama plant would also use a Zero Liquid Discharge system to prevent waste products from flowing into the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

. While the plant has been touted as displacing coal-to-plastics processes,

OPB Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary public media organization for the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. It provides news, information, and programming via television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF translators, ...

obtained documents showing that in 2019 the company said the methanol would be used as fuel in China. Financing for the plant may be backed with a $2 billion

federal loan guarantee Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

, as well as federal and state grants, loans, and tax breaks.

Clatskanie, Oregon

NWIW also has plans to build a methane reforming facility on the Columbia River at Port Westward industrial park near

Clatskanie, Oregon Clatskanie () is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the Kwalhioqua–Clatskanie language, Tlatskanai Native American tribe, and the Clatskanie River which flows through the town and empties ...

References

External links

* {{official, https://nwinnovationworks.com/ Energy in Washington (state) Energy in Oregon