He wanted to build a $1.85 billion methanol production facility on 1,200-acres of farmland in St. James Parish, Louisiana. As part of the deal, Koch has acquired an indirect minority equity interest in YCI Methanol One, LLC. "The decision by Koch Methanol to invest in YCI Methanol sends a clear signal to the industry about the strength of this facility," said Yao, CEO and president of YCI. "He chose the US because it has a big market for methanol, and it also has lower costs for natural gas, a feedstock for methanol," Yao said. According to MarketsandMarkets, which provides industry research for companies, the global methanol market is expected to reach $54.16 billion by 2021.