PARIS, Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Liquide China will invest around 60 million euros to build an Air Separation Unit (ASU) in the Lingang Economic District, Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone. Air Liquide has been supplying industrial gases to this major Chinese industrial basin for more than 25 years, and already operates 7 production facilities there.
With an oxygen production capacity of more than 2,000 tons per day, this ASU will notably allow Air Liquide to support the growth of the chemical and steel industries in the Tianjin basin, secured by a new long term supply agreement with a major customer.
Air Liquide will build, own and operate this new ASU, which has been designed leveraging the Group's latest state-of-the-art technology, for a low carbon and energy efficient production of oxygen, nitrogen and argon. This facility will also incorporate a dedicated capacity to support small-and-medium sized customers of liquid and packaged gases, including local hospitals requiring high-purity medical gases. It is planned to be operational in 2022.
Air Liquide China operates seven ASUs in Tianjin, as well as a network of multi-sourced pipelines that deliver oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to adjacent customers.
Francois Abrial, member of the Air Liquide Group's Executive Committee supervising Asia Pacific, said: "One of the most important industrial cities in the country and the largest port in Northern China, Tianjin is a key basin for Air Liquide in China. This new investment in the 8th ASU built and operated by Air Liquide in Tianjin since 1995 clearly demonstrates our commitment to the long-term partnership we have built with our customers there. It also shows our confidence in the sustained growth of the Chinese industry towards cleaner, more efficient ways of producing."
Air Liquide in China
Air Liquide in China operates nearly 100 plants and employs close to 5,000 employees today. With a strong presence in the key coastal industrial areas, Air Liquide is now expanding into the center, south and west. Its main business activities include industrial and medical gas operations, home health service, Engineering & Construction (designing, manufacturing and installing air separation units/hydrogen facilities), as well as Innovation activities.
A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with approximately 67,000 employees and serves more than 3.7 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the core of the company's activities since its creation in 1902.
Air Liquide's ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability. The company's customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.
Air Liquide's revenue amounted to 22 billion euros in 2019 and its solutions that protect life and the environment represented more than 40% of sales. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.
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