Air Liquide invests to increase efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions of its industrial site in Stade, Germany

Air Liquide and Dow renewed their industrial gas supply agreement in Stade, one of the largest chemical production sites in Lower Saxony, Germany. In this context, Air Liquide will supply industrial gases under a long-term agreement and invest close to 40 million euros in the modernisation of its assets, enabling operational efficiency and reducing CO₂ emissions. 

As part of the agreement, Air Liquide will modernize its existing production assets - two Air Separation Units (ASU) as well as one Partial Oxidation plant (POX)^[1], to which it will add a new CO₂ recycling solution. This will enable a circular use of the CO₂ produced, leading to around 15% increase in energy efficiency and reducing the emissions by around 15,000 tonnes/year, which represents 80% of direct CO₂ emissions of the Air Liquide site. The modernization of these assets will be completed in 2024. Air Liquide has been supplying industrial gases to Dow in Stade, Germany, for more than 20 years.

Emilie Mouren-Renouard, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Europe Industries Hub, said:

"In view of the climate imperative, the necessary industrial transformation will require not only ground-breaking greenfield projects but also step-by-step modifications and modernisation of existing plants. This is why, as part of our long term renewal of the supply agreement with Dow, we have decided to invest close to 40 millions euros to modernize our assets in Stade. The solution  implemented will apply CO₂ recycling to an existing production facility, enabling us to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions at the same time. This investment is in line with Air Liquide’s ADVANCE strategic plan, which includes the objective of reducing the Group’s carbon emissions by one-third by 2035."

1. Partial oxidation (POX) is a mature process in which natural gas, for instance, is mixed with a limited amount of oxygen, creating syngas, as a feedstock for multiple applications.