Air Liquide to build $550MM ASU, Baytown, Texas
August 24, 2022
Air Liquide has proposed a $550 million project for the design and construction of a new world-scale air separation unit (ASU) for the production of argon, oxygen, and nitrogen for distribution to customers in the Gulf Coast area, according to an application filed with the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
The proposed production facility in Baytown, Texas, will consist of a new industrial gas facility for the production of argon, oxygen, and nitrogen for distribution to customers in the Gulf Coast area. The proposed industrial gas facility will be constructed along Air Liquide industrial gas pipelines that run from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to the south of Corpus Christi, Texas, through Harris County. Products from this plant will be distributed via pipelines to Air Liquide's gas customers along these pipelines, by truck to Air Liquide's customers throughout the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast, and by rail to customers outside this region. Air Liquide is considering alternate locations in both Texas and Louisiana from which to serve its industrial, medical and energy customers.
The expected start date for the construction of the ASU is 2026, with an expected end date in 2028. The company anticipates to need approximately 400 construction personnel and 10 new permanent full-time Air Liquide employees for the proposed project.