Qafac has already selected a number of advisers for the project. Societe Generalehas been appointed financial adviser and London-based Norton Rose, the legal adviser. Germany's Lurgiis in line to win the technology licence contract. Project management will be carried out in-house by Qafac shareholders, with the main responsibility resting with Taiwan's Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC).

Qafac's existing plant, inaugurated in October 1999 at a cost of $670 million, has nameplate capacity of 832,500 tonnes a year (t/y) of methanol and 610,000 t/y of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). The company's shareholders are Qatar Petroleum with 50 per cent, CPC (20 per cent), Taiwan's Lee Chang Yung Chemical Industry Corporation(15 per cent) and Canada's International Octane(15 per cent).