Saudi Arabia: further investments

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest economy in the Middle East. Growth is driven by the expansion of the refining and petrochemical industries and the development of infrastructure projects. Air Liquide, the leading global player in the Middle East industrial gases market, announces new successes in this growth region.

Saudi Aramco and Air Liquide Arabia announce that they have signed a new long-term nitrogen supply agreement for Saudi Aramco’s operations in Qurayyah, in the Eastern Province. This nitrogen will be used by Saudi Aramco in the processing of seawater related to oil production.

Under the terms of the agreement, Air Liquide Arabia will invest more than 35 million US dollars (more than €25 million) in two Air Separation Units with a total production capacity of 500 tonnes per day. The facility will be designed and built by Air Liquide Engineering teams and commissioned in 2012. It will also support growing industrial merchant needs in the Eastern Province.

This new contract follows Air Liquide Arabia’s signature of a hydrogen supply agreement in September 2010 for Saudi Aramco’s large-scale refinery in Yanbu.

Also in Saudi Arabia, Air Liquide Al Khafrah Industrial Gases has started up a new high purity filling center in Dammam to deliver specialty gases to its key petrochemical customers. The investment amount for these new capabilities and the supply chain for bulk gases is 10 million US dollars (more than €7 million).

Pierre Dufour, Senior Executive Vice-President of the Air Liquide Group supervising the Middle East Zone, commented: “With those new investments, Air Liquide demonstrates its capacity to accompany its customers at all stages of their industrial processes particularly in the main industrial hubs. These investments also reinforce our growing presence in all aspects of the Saudi Arabia economy, where we continue to develop our industrial gas infrastructure in support, not only of the energy sector, a growth driver for Air Liquide, but also in the evolving non-energy sector.”