By using Ultra-Low Emission technology (ULE) NWIW will reduce carbon emissions by up to 90 percent compared to coal to methanol manufacturing and 75 percent less than conventional methanol production. The Kalama Facility Final Environmental Impact Statement shows that air pollutants generated by our facility will be less than the screening level threshold and will not threaten human health.
ULE Fact Sheet
NWIW is proud to be the first company along the Columbia River to invest in Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology, which will eliminate the discharge of all facility wastewater. The ZLD system recycles and reuses the water used at the facility and eliminates wastewater discharges to the environment. Most important, ZLD will eliminate our facility's potential impact on the river water and aquatic life, an outcome that will preserve this region’s quality of life for generations to come.
Our proposed project will incorporate measures to conserve energy during construction and operation. NWIW’s next-generation methanol-production process will reuse and recycle waste products to reduce the overall energy required to operate the manufacturing process. Our facility will reuse hydrocarbon byproducts from the distillation process to fuel the boilers to generate steam used in the process. In addition, the volume of water used in our methanol-production process is approximately 3,440 gallons per minute of water, approximately 1/3 of the capacity of the Port’s available water supply and water rights.
We’re committed to implementing state-of-the-art standards that meet or exceed local, state and federal regulations. In fact, extensive modeling of any health and safety risks posed by the facility has been performed by highly qualified experts using the most advanced technical tools. To significantly reduce the chance of spills, fires and explosions, all natural gas, chemical processing, and methanol production will be managed through an enclosed process with state-of-the-art safety mechanisms. We will make a significant investment to ensure our facility can withstand a 9.0 earthquake without structural failure. Lastly, NWIW will work closely with first responders and regulatory agencies to develop contingency plans that include dedicated and trained on-site fire brigades and equipment to support any potential emergency.
Using technologies that meet or exceed the highest environmental standards in the world, we create methanol, an ingredient necessary to make a wide variety of consumer goods, and export it to Asia.