The technology group The Linde Group is set to expand its gas supply network for steel conglomerate ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe at its largest production location in Duisburg, Germany.
Under the terms of the agreement, Linde will construct another industrial-scale air separation plant in Duisburg-Ruhrort. This will be the eleventh air separator that Linde has built for ThyssenKrupp. It will have a daily capacity of 1,500 tonnes (tpd) of oxygen. The new facility is set to go on stream in the third quarter of 2012. The total investment in the new plant and in existing plants in Duisburg-Ruhrort is valued at around EUR 75 million.
"This investment is another milestone in the long-standing and successful collaboration between both companies in the area of air separation," says Dr Aldo Belloni, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. "Since 1951, Linde has constructed ten air separation plants for ThyssenKrupp in Duisburg. And in 1998, we took over operations management for the entire air gas production landscape in Duisburg. We are delighted to now be adding another state-of-the-art air separation plant to the existing complex."
Under the umbrella of this new project, Linde signed a contract with ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe to expand the existing network to ensure long-term, reliable supply of pipeline oxygen and nitrogen to the ThyssenKrupp steelworks in Duisburg. The new plant will also produce the noble gases argon, krypton and xenon, which Linde will distribute to other customers worldwide. These gases are invaluable in a number of industries ranging from electronics and fibre optics through lighting to aerospace.
With a crude steel production of nearly 15 million tonnes per year, Duisburg is one of the world's largest steel hubs. ThyssenKrupp is specialised in the manufacture of high-grade steel-sheet products. Its main customers are in the automotive, construction, household appliance, energy and packaging industries.