Praxair To Supply Hydrogen To BP In Indiana
DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) has finalized an agreement with BP whereby Praxair will supply hydrogen and steam to BP's Whiting, Indiana, refinery complex. Praxair will build two new hydrogen plants with a total capacity of 200 million standard cubic feet per day. The plants, designed and constructed by Praxair, are scheduled to start up in the second half of 2010.
The use of hydrogen will allow BP to produce very low-sulfur gasoline and diesel fuels in the refining process, and to upgrade heavy Canadian crude oil to lighter, cleaner-burning fuels.
"As part of our longstanding relationship, Praxair is pleased to play a key role in helping BP increase fuel supplies while meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations," said Kevin Foti, vice president, North Region, for Praxair's North American Industrial Gases business unit. "We look forward to demonstrating Praxair's world-class plant-design and construction capabilities, which integrate the latest cost-reduction and energy-efficiency methodologies."
Praxair has been operating in northern Indiana for almost 100 years. Today, BP and other customers in the region are supplied from four locations where Praxair operates 10 air separation plants, a rare gas facility and four smaller hydrogen plants. A state-of-the-art operations center in East Chicago, Indiana, controls 130 miles of pipeline that deliver oxygen and nitrogen as well as hydrogen.
Worldwide, Praxair operates 37 hydrogen production plants and seven hydrogen pipeline systems that deliver nearly one billion standard cubic feet per day of hydrogen. Praxair's 310-mile-long hydrogen pipeline on the U.S. Gulf Coast is one of the world's largest, serving more than 50 refineries and petrochemical plants. Refinery customers worldwide benefit from Praxair's complete portfolio of large-volume industrial gases, cylinder gases and specialized services.
BP is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies with operations in more than 100 countries across six continents. The company's main businesses are exploration and production of oil and gas; refining, manufacturing and marketing of oil products and petrochemicals; transportation and marketing of natural gas; and BP Alternative Energy, a growing business in renewable and low-carbon power and next generation energy technologies. The Praxair hydrogen supply is an integral part of the BP Whiting Refinery modernization project which will increase Whiting gasoline production by 1.7 million gallons a day and equip the refinery to process increased amounts of secure Canadian crude oil.
Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2007 sales of $9.4 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a diverse group of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, electronics, energy, food and beverage, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.
Copyright 2008 Business Wire All Rights Reserved