Benelux: Air Liquide Signs a New Long-Term Contract with Covestro for the Supply of Hydrogen
17 Avril 2018 - 5:35PM
Business Wire
Regulatory News:
Air Liquide (Paris:AI) and Covestro, a world-leading supplier
of high-tech polymer materials, have recently signed a new
long-term contract for the supply of hydrogen at Covestro’s
production site in the port area of Antwerp. Air Liquide will
invest 80 million euros in the construction of a "new generation"
hydrogen production unit. This state-of-the-art plant will be
fitted with a new Air Liquide proprietary technology that improves
energy efficiency and the overall environmental footprint of the
production process. The hydrogen produced will also enable Air
Liquide to supply customers in this industrial basin in
Europe.
In connection with this new long-term contract, the
hydrogen will be used in the production of aniline, which is
one of the base chemicals of the polyurethanes found in many
applications in the sectors of construction, automotive or home
appliances.
Air Liquide will design, build and operate a
“next-generation” hydrogen production unit - SMR-X™1
- producing hydrogen with an increased energy efficiency
and a reduced carbon footprint. Overall natural gas consumption
to produce hydrogen, as well as CO2 emissions will be reduced by
around 5% compared with conventional SMR. At the same time,
part of the CO2 generated during the production process will be
captured by Covestro and used as a feedstock in its production
process. By capturing carbon and upgrading the recovered
CO2, this model is part of a circular
economy system.
Expected to start operation in 2020, this new
SMR-XTM unit will offer optimal performances in
terms of energy efficiency, safety and reliability. The new
plant will also support the development of the Covestro production
site in Benelux and will strengthen Air Liquide’s existing network
for the supply of hydrogen in the Antwerp industrial area.
Guy Salzgeber, Executive Vice-President and member of the
Air Liquide group’s Executive Committee supervising industrial
activities in Europe, said: "We are delighted to strengthen our
partnership with Covestro, a strategic customer of the Group. With
this next-generation hydrogen plant, Air Liquide demonstrates its
ability to meet its customers’ needs thanks to solutions offering
an increased energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint. This
project illustrates our innovation capacity and enable us to
reinforce our presence in one of the most dynamic industrial basins
of northern Europe.”
Volker Weintritt, Managing Director of Covestro in
Antwerp, said: “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership
with Air Liquide. Thanks to this new investment, not only will a
reliable and flexible supply of raw materials to our site be
guaranteed, but also the new facility and its capacities could open
up new perspectives for our Antwerp site.”
The Large Industries business line of
Air LiquideOffers gas and energy solutions that improve
process efficiency and help achieve greater respect for the
environment, mainly in the refining and natural gas, chemicals,
metals and energy markets. In 2017, revenues were €5,336
million.
Air Liquide in the
BeneluxFounded in Belgium in 1906 and in the Netherlands
in 1913, Air Liquide currently operates 27 industrial sites
throughout the Benelux. The Group currently employs more than 1,200
people in this region, all activities taken together, and it
supplies more than 65,000 customers and patients.The Air Liquide
Benelux Large Industries business line operates a pipeline network
stretching 2,225 kilometers, which supplies the industrial basins
from Mons to Rotterdam.
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The world leader in gases, technologies and services for
Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with
approximately 65,000 employees and serves more than 3.5 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 lead its industry, deliver long
term performance and contribute to sustainability. The company’s
customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable 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 20.3 billion euros in 2017 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.
1 Steam Methane Reformer - steam reforming natural gas unit.
SMR-X™ is a new generation of SMR equipped with Air Liquide's
proprietary technology that produces hydrogen without co-producing
excess steam.
www.airliquide.comFollow us on Twitter
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Air LiquideCorporate CommunicationsCaroline
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58 49orInvestor RelationsParis - France+33 (0)1 40 62 50
87orPhiladelphia - USA+1 610 263 8277orAir Liquide Benelux
CommunicationsKatja De Witte, +32477968939
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