The past year has seen biofuels and other alternative energy products such as DME and methanol gasoline gaining greater prominence globally, with interest and developments in Asia in particular picking up strongly.

What do these developments mean for the methanol and MTBE industries, with energy considerations now looking poised to become perhaps as strong a driver as traditional end-uses? With high-energy prices accelerating the growth of biodiesel and fuel ethanol, as well as the use of methanol in gasoline, will growth in demand for methanol as an energy source outstrip growth in demand from traditional end-uses?