- Joint on-site project with Evonik and Jishen
- Initial investment valued at around EUR 42 million
- Move strengthens Linde's position in North China
Munich, 5 December 2011 - The technology group The Linde Group is set to build and operate a new hydrogen plant in the Jilin Chemical Industrial Park (JCIP) in Northeast China. The company will be investing around EUR 42 million in the first phase of this new project.
The hydrogen plant is expected to come on stream by the end of 2013, supplying several companies in the Jilin chemical complex with high-purity hydrogen. This park is home to the production facilities run by Evonik Industries and Jishen, a joint venture between the PetroChina Jilin Beifang Chemical Group and the Jilin Shenhua Group.
"The project further strengthens our leading position as a gases and engineering player in China," says Sanjiv Lamba, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG responsible for Asia. "We are delighted to see more and more large-scale industrial developments in this dynamic region and - together with our partners - we are committed to supporting the development of these projects as we move forward."
The new hydrogen plant will use steam methane reforming (SMR) to produce 25,000 normal cubic metres of hydrogen per hour. It will be built by Linde's Engineering Division and operated by its Gases Division. In addition, Linde will set up a subsidiary, Linde Gases Jilin, to focus on further expanding the gas supply infrastructure in and around the JCIP chemical complex.
Chemical companies Jishen, Evonik Industries and Huntsman are investing around EUR 390 million in total to construct a chemical hub in Jilin that will produce high-pressure propylene oxide (HPPO). Evonik is building a 230 kta hydrogen peroxide plant to supply Jishen's 300 kta HPPO plant. Jishen will then supply the HPPO to Huntsman for its polyol plant.
The chemical hub will produce the building blocks for polyurethane plastics. These plastics are used to make a wide variety of products such as fibres, shoe soles, foam insulation, adhesives, mattresses and car seats.
The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 50,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2010 financial year, it achieved sales of 12.868 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
In Greater China, Linde has close to 4,000 employees working in around 50 subsidiaries and joint ventures, and 150 operational plants in major industrial hubs across the region. Linde Greater China is headquartered in Shanghai.
For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com
