SOXAL Develops Key Hydrogen Business In Singapore
Singapore is the world third-largest center of oil refining and, in the frame of Kyoto
Protocol, has committed itself to contributing to the environment.
Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide Pte Ltd (SOXAL), a fully owned subsidiary of Air
Liquide, has signed a long term contract to supply hydrogen to Neste Oil's
Renewable Diesel plant in Singapore. In order to meet Neste Oil's industrial gas
requirements, SOXAL will invest approximately 125 million to build, own and operate
a new world-scale Steam Methane Reformer (SMR) on Jurong Island. This unit is
expected to start up in 2010 and will produce about 100,000 Nm3 per hour of hydrogen.
Besides supporting Neste Oil's new facility, SOXAL's SMR will also serve existing
and future petrochemical customers located on Jurong Island and Tuas
through an extensively integrated Hydrogen Pipeline Network. This will add
reliability to Air Liquide existing and new customers by connecting them to the
largest hydrogen pipeline network in Singapore.
This new hydrogen unit represents the SOXAL's biggest and the fifth significant
investment into the gas infrastructure of Jurong Island, having already invested three
Air Separation Units at Pulau Ayer Merbau and Pulau Ayer Chawan, one HyCO unit at
Sakra, and another new 1,200 tonnes per day Air Separation Unit at Pulau Ayer Merbau
currently under construction.
With respect to hydrogen, over the past three years, Air Liquide has increased its
worldwide production capacity of its hydrogen systems by more than 50
percent.
Jean-Pierre Duprieu, Senior Vice-President, Asia-Pacific region, member of the
Executive Committee of the Air Liquide Group, said: "These investments represent
SOXAL's commitment to our petrochemical customers in terms of reliability and
system capability, today and for the future. As a worldwide leader in the
hydrogen market, we are actively applying our best technologies and
expertise to help our refinery and chemical customers around the world
improve their process efficiencies and meet their environmental
responsibilities.
Less than one year after the completion of the full acquisition of SOXAL by Air
Liquide, this success enables us to significantly reinforce our positions in South-
East Asia and capitalize on growth in economies clustered around the industrial
hub of Singapore."
