Regulatory News:

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) announces an investment of 125 million euros to build the first world-scale Air Separation Unit (ASU) for oxygen production with an energy storage system that helps facilitate more renewable energy on the electricity grid due to its grid stabilizing capability. This highly efficient plant, with circa 10% less electricity consumption, will have a production capacity of 2,200 tons of oxygen per day, and will be built in Port of Moerdijk in the Netherlands. This project illustrates Air Liquide’s strategy to grow in strategic industrial basins, and the Group’s ability to design and implement innovative solutions contributing to the energy transition, in line with its Climate Objectives.

The new ASU is designed to be built with the proprietary solution Alive™, an innovation that enables for more flexible units to combine customers’ needs and support transition to renewable energy. The system allows the storage of up to 40 MWh of energy, which corresponds to daily consumption of 4,000 households, enabling flexibility of the energy intake from the grid. While keeping a constant production for customers, it can accommodate the intermittency of renewable energy thus contributing to the growth of power coming from the wind and solar on the electricity grid. The ASU is planned to be operational in 2022.

The new Air Separation Unit will produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for industrial, food, and medical markets. It will be connected to Air Liquide’s extensive pipeline network, providing customers with a safe, flexible, and reliable supply to meet their growing demand. The strategic location of Moerdijk will enable to decrease bulk truck deliveries by an estimated 400,000km driven per year, contributing to a lower environmental footprint.

François Jackow, Executive Vice President and a member of the Air Liquide group’s Executive Committee, said: « Fighting climate change is central to the mission of Air Liquide and we are developing a wide range of solutions. This investment in a strategic industrial basin, with a first-of-its kind innovation, illustrates our capacity to modernize industry with solutions to support a renewable energy compatible grid. In line with our Climate Objectives, we are committed to lower carbon footprint on our own assets as well as customers’ and demonstrate our contribution to the emergence of a low carbon society.»

Air Liquide in the Benelux

Air Liquide in Benelux comprises subsidiaries active in the production, distribution, and sale of industrial and medical gases, technologies and services of the Air Liquide group through three of its sectors of activity: Large Industries, Industrial Merchant and Electronics. Founded in Belgium in 1906 and in the Netherlands in 1913 and in Luxembourg in 1931, Air Liquide currently operates 27 industrial sites throughout the Benelux. The Group currently employs approximately 1,200 people in this region, all activities taken together, and it supplies more than 65,000 customers and patients. Air Liquide in Benelux also operates the largest pipeline network in Europe, stretching 2,250 kilometers, which supplies the industrial basins from Mons to Rotterdam.

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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