Praxair Signs Long-Term Agreement with Celanese to Supply Carbon Monoxide, Oxygen and Nitrogen in the U.S. Gulf Coast

Tue, February 21 2017

DANBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX), a leading global industrial gas company, has signed a 15-year agreement to supply Celanese Corporation (NYSE:CE) with carbon monoxide, as well as oxygen and nitrogen, in the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Praxair will deliver high-purity carbon monoxide to Celanese from a new, state-of-the-art carbon monoxide and hydrogen plant that will be built, owned and operated by Praxair. The company will also expand its extensive hydrogen pipeline network to enable the supply of 80 million cubic feet per day of co-produced hydrogen to meet the requirements of other new customers along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Additionally, Praxair will build a new air separation unit on its nitrogen and oxygen pipeline network that will provide the industrial gases required by Celanese.

These plants and pipeline expansions require a combined investment of more than $300 million and further strengthen Praxair’s production network, benefitting all customers along its U.S. Gulf Coast pipeline systems. The new facilities and pipeline assets will begin operations in the year 2020 to meet Celanese’s long-term industrial gas demands and those of other new customers. Praxair continues to evaluate sites for these new plants and supporting infrastructure.

Praxair’s pipeline systems are currently supported by multiple hydrogen and air separation plants and product storage capabilities, including the company’s 2.5 billion-cubic-foot, high-purity hydrogen storage cavern. Together with the previously announced Geismar, Louisiana, project that will start up in the second half of 2018, Praxair’s carbon monoxide capacity along the U.S. Gulf Coast will more than double. The increased demand for industrial gases in the region results from the availability of abundant, low-cost shale gas in the U.S.

“Praxair’s long history of successfully integrating and executing multiple projects was critical for this award. We are uniquely positioned to reliably supply industrial gases to our customers through our extensive pipeline network in the Gulf Coast region,” said Steve Angel, chairman and chief executive officer, Praxair, Inc. “We are proud to be a key supplier to Celanese and build our relationship for the long term through these projects with this world-class company.”

“Our sourcing effort at Celanese was driven by the goal to secure a stable and reliable supply of critical raw materials for our operations to enable us to reach our future growth and financial goals,” said Mark Rohr, Celanese chairman and chief executive officer. “As we evaluated our future industrial gas requirements, Praxair stood out as the clear choice, and Celanese is pleased to reach this mutual, multi-year agreement.”

About Praxair

Praxair, Inc., a Fortune 300 company with 2016 sales of $11 billion, is a leading industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, primary metals and many others. More information about Praxair, Inc. is available at www.praxair.com.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Our two complementary business cores, Acetyl Chain and Materials Solutions, use the full breadth of Celanese’s global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for our customers and the corporation. As we partner with our customers to solve their most critical business needs, we strive to make a positive impact on our communities and the world through The Celanese Foundation. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,300 employees worldwide and had 2016 net sales of $5.4 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170221005907/en/

Praxair Media:
Jason Stewart, (203) 837-2448
jason_stewart@praxair.com
or
Praxair Investor:
Juan Pelaez, (203) 837-2213
juan_pelaez@praxair.com
or
Celanese Corporation Media:
W. Travis Jacobsen, (972) 443-3750
william.jacobsen@celanese.com

Source: Praxair, Inc.