26-06-2013

Linde breaks ground for the largest air separation unit in the US

Linde North America has broken ground for a large, state-of-the art air separation unit (ASU) plant in La Porte, Texas. The ASU, part of a $200 million Linde investment that will also include a gasification train and supporting equipment and facilities, will come on-stream in the first quarter of 2015 and will be the largest such Linde plant in the U.S.

Pat Murphy, president of Linde North America, hosted groundbreaking ceremonies attended by customers, members of the news media and representatives of local, state and federal governments. In attendance were LaPorte Mayor Louis Rigby, as well as district representatives from the offices of U.S Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Representative Steve Stockman, who represents the 36th district of Texas, which includes La Porte and State Senator Larry Taylor.  Also in attendance were representatives from the Greater Houston Partnership.

Guests attending the groundbreaking ceremony were given tours of the gasification and methanol plants at the La Porte site and received information on the products made at the plant -- carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methanol for use by chemical manufacturers and oil refiners.

The air gases (oxygen and nitrogen) produced by the new ASU will supply the gasification assets at the La Porte site. The new gasifier will convert natural gas into syngas and constituent products such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide which are used to produce methanol, downstream chemicals and cleaner transportation fuels. The syngas products will be served by pipeline to a key customer. Linde also owns and operates three additional large, partial oxidation facilities that manufacture syngas products using Linde’s world-leading syngas processing technologies and know-how.

“Linde is the leading syngas supplier in this region,” said Murphy.  “This latest venture is the largest single site investment in plant and equipment Linde has made to date in the U.S. Coupled with our unique portfolio of industrial gas and hydrocarbons technology, engineering and operations capabilities, the new plants will allow Linde to better serve the petrochemicals industry that is being driven to new heights by the shale gas revolution.”