Air Products to Supply Hydrogen to ExxonMobil in Rotterdam

11-11-2009: Air Products announced a long-term supply contract and plans to build a new world-scale hydrogen production plant to serve ExxonMobil’s (Esso) Rotterdam refinery in The Netherlands and additional customers in the region. The plant will feature technology advancements to maximize facility energy efficiency and emission reductions. It will be connected to Air Products’ extensive Rotterdam hydrogen pipeline network system and is expected to be on-stream in the second half of 2011.

“We are proud to strengthen our relationship with ExxonMobil with this new contract in Europe and to build a new state-of-the-art hydrogen production facility,” said Howard Castle-Smith, vice president–Tonnage Gases, Equipment and Energy for Air Products in Europe and the Middle East. “This project enhances Air Products’ existing operations and pipeline network system in the Netherlands where we have a number of hydrogen facilities in the Rotterdam region supplying the refining and chemical industries. This new project demonstrates our commitment to a region which has made hydrogen a key to its continued development.”

“The new hydrogen facility will use cutting edge processes and technology to maximize energy efficiency and significantly reduce overall plant emissions,” said Denis Deheusch, general manager–Tonnage Gases for Air Products in the Benelux. “We will be able to achieve this through an enhanced plant design which targets minimal loss of heat to the environment and a reduced natural gas requirement.”

The Rotterdam project builds on two previous announcements in the past year involving Air Products and ExxonMobil in the United States. Air Products is building a new world-scale hydrogen production facility which will supply ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana facility, and also announced a hydrogen pipeline supply agreement from Air Products’ Gulf Coast network to ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas refinery. Both projects are to come on-stream in 2010.

Air Products’ hydrogen facility in Rotterdam will be built through the global alliance between Air Products and Technip. Technip provides the design and construction expertise for steam reformers while Air Products provides the gas separation technology. Air Products, through its extensive operating network, and Technip, from its large reference base, also bring effective operational and engineering knowledge to “design-in” high reliability and efficiency. The plants are operated and maintained by Air Products under long-term agreements with customers.