Poland: 70 million euros new investment with the copper industry leader

Poland is one of the largest countries and economies in Central Europe, with industrial markets enjoying high growth rates. Air Liquide has been consistently increasing its presence in this country by focusing on key investments in the Polish industry.

Air Liquide and KGHM Polska Miedz have signed a long-term agreement to supply gases to the copper production site in Glogów, located in the west of the country, 100 km from Wroclaw.

Air Liquide will invest more than €70 million in an Air Separation Unit with a production capacity of 1,500 tonnes of oxygen per day. KGHM will use this oxygen in its modern copper production process, improving efficiency and reducing atmospheric emissions.

The unit will be designed and manufactured by Air Liquide Engineering & Construction teams based in Poland and in France. It will be commissioned early 2015 and incorporate the Group’s latest technologies, which offer highest levels of energy efficiency and reliability.

Created in 1961, KGHM Polska Miedz is one of the leaders of the copper industry in Europe, the 10th-largest producer of copper in the world, and the leading producer of silver in the world.

Air Liquide’s Air Separation Units, located in Dabrowa Górnicza, Kraków and Pulawy, in the South and East of Poland, currently already represent the largest production capacity of industrial gases in Poland. With this new investment in Glogów, Air Liquide is strengthening further its network of plants in this country.

Guy Salzgeber, Vice-President North and Central Europe and a member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee, declared: “We want to thank KGHM for its trust in awarding us this project. With this investment, Air Liquide is reinforcing its global position in the dynamic market of Poland. Overall, Air Liquide is maintaining its investment pace in line with the Group’s long-term strategy, which notably consists of seizing opportunities for future growth in dynamic economies.”