The Linde Group is set to build a new air separation unit in the eastern German town of Eisenhüttenstadt, near Frankfurt an der Oder. Around EUR 85M will be channelled into the plant, which will supply the ArcelorMittal Eisenhüttenstadt steelworks with oxygen and nitrogen as per the recently signed agreement between the two companies. The plant will also supply liquid gases to the regional market. By combining both gaseous and liquid production streams, the new plant will significantly increase the energy efficiency of oxygen generation at the integrated steelworks.
Eisenhüttenstadt is currently home to two oxygen generation units. The new plant will replace the older, less efficient facility. Linde’s Engineering Division will be responsible for delivering the turnkey plant. Linde’s gas company LiGaPro will operate the plant once it goes on stream, currently planned for 2017. “Energy efficiency was a key factor for us in the design phase, especially in light of rising raw material costs in the region”, elaborates Olaf Reckenhofer, head of Linde Gas Germany. “An improved energy balance will also contribute to the lowering of carbon dioxide emissions in the region.”
