Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering company, has announced that, within the framework of a long-term gas supply contract with ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the Kazakhstan-based subsidiary of steel giant ArcelorMittal, it will construct a large, state-of-the-art air separation plant in Kazakhstan, with a daily capacity of 2,000 metric tons.
With the total investments amounting to €95 million, the new air separation plant is scheduled to be commissioned in mid-2012, partly replacing existing air separators which ArcelorMittal operates itself. Linde will supply ArcelorMittal Temirtau steelworks with oxygen and nitrogen gas, targeting also customers concentrated in the steel and manufacturing industries in Kazakhstan.
With an annual capacity of around four million mt, the ArcelorMittal Temirtau steelworks in northeastern Kazakhstan produces hot rolled coils, cold rolled coils, galvanized and pre-painted coils, mainly for the mechanical industry and for various applications in the pipe and tube sector.
On the other hand, Linde Group has also announced that it will expand its gas supply network for Germany-based steel conglomerate ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe at its largest production location in Duisburg. Under the terms of the agreement, Linde will construct another industrial-scale air separation plant in Duisburg-Ruhrort, with a daily capacity of 1,500 metric tons of oxygen. The new facility is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2012, with a total investment of €75 million.
Under the umbrella of this new project, Linde has signed a contract with ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe to expand the existing network to ensure a long-term, reliable supply of pipeline oxygen and nitrogen to the ThyssenKrupp steelworks in Duisburg.
With a crude steel production of nearly 15 million metric tons per year, Duisburg is one of the world's largest steel hubs. ThyssenKrupp is specialized in the manufacture of high-grade steel sheet products. Its main customers are in the automotive, construction, household appliance, energy and packaging industries.