The future of the Motunui complex and smaller Waitara plant has been uncertain since early 2003 when the devastating Netherland Sewell and Associates International report on remaining Maui reserves effectively stripped Methanex of all its Maui gas entitlements.

Then late in 2003 Methanex won a temporary reprieve when it and Todd Energy clinched a deal for the supply of enough McKee-Mangahewa gas for one train to produce about 500,000 tonnes of methanol, instead of the normal 2.3 million tonnes, this year.

Now it is believed Methanex has already started investigating the economics of having the only train operating on a stop-start basis from 2005, if Methanex can snaffle enough gas to do that.

Taranaki plant manager Dennis Addison was one of several speakers at the third and final Venture Taranaki energy workshop, held in New Plymouth last Thursday. While media were not allowed at the meeting, it is understood Addison painted a pretty depressing picture of Methanex in Taranaki after this year.

EnergyReview.Net believes Addison outlined the option of stop-start plant operations using gas from possibly a variety of fields. Commentators say Methanex may again be aggressive enough in its pricing to win some more McKee-Mangahewa gas and perhaps some more Maui gas, which would have to be on-sold by Contact Energy or NGC.

There is also the possibility of Methanex buying gas from Genesis Power, which had just announced a deal with Austral-Pacific Energy to secure the rights to all deep gas from the yet-to-be-proven onshore Cardiff field.

Methanex - desperate to keep its Taranaki plants supplying the buoyant Asian markets at even partial capacity - may also decide to contribute to the Contact Energy-Mighty River Power onshore Taranaki drilling fund announced in March at the 2004 NZ petroleum conference.

Addison was unavailable after the Venture Taranaki workshop, although ERN understands he returns from Methanex Vancouver headquarters later this week. Public affairs manager Gerry Kennedy has declined to comment.