OXEA GmbH (Monheim, Germany), a global manufacturer of Oxo Intermediates and Oxo Performance Chemicals, and Air Liquide S.A. (Paris) are extending their long-standing partnership by renewing their contract for the supply of synthesis gas and hydrogen at the OXEA Industrial Park Ruhrchemie Oberhausen. For OXEA, the contract renewal bolsters supply reliability for its global customers and supports the execution of its strategy to strengthen the Oxo Intermediates portfolio while driving continued growth in its Oxo Performance Chemicals business. The site is Air Liquide’s largest production hub in Germany. Air Liquide will invest more than 20 million euros to modernize its existing Partial Oxidation (POX) unit, ensuring long-term reliability of its operations.
Building on decades of operations at the Industrial Park Ruhrchemie site in Oberhausen — a cornerstone of oxo chemistry and one of OXEA’s most integrated production hubs — the agreement is supported by targeted investments from Air Liquide aimed at enhancing the robustness and long-term stability of synthesis gas and hydrogen supply. Air Liquide’s large scale POX plant has a production capacity of 340,000 tonnes of syngas and hydrogen per year. This provides the operational foundation required to optimize core intermediates production and enable the expansion of higher-value downstream applications across key markets such as coatings, lubricants, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Through this partnership, OXEA reaffirms its commitment to delivering consistent quality, dependable supply, and innovation-driven solutions to customers worldwide. The renewed contract also provides the operational stability needed to pursue industry-leading projects at the site. For Example, by connecting a Carbon Capture and liquefaction plant to the POX unit, Air Liquide has reduced its CO₂ emissions by 50% since 2021. The captured CO₂ is repurposed to supply the food and beverage industry, demonstrating the sustainable circular economy principles embraced by both companies.
Albrecht Schwerin, Chief Operating Officer at OXEA, said: “The renewal of this contract reaffirms the critical role of long-term partnerships in ensuring the stability and growth of our production processes. We value the close cooperation with Air Liquide, which enables us to maintain the highest standards of safety and efficiency while driving forward innovative projects.”
Jorge Castro Roldan, Vice President of Global Procurement at OXEA, said: “The extension of this agreement bolsters the resilience of our core Intermediates platform and supports the continued growth of our Oxo Performance Chemicals portfolio. By securing a more robust and reliable supply of critical feedstocks through targeted investments, we are enhancing asset utilization, enabling downstream value creation, and reinforcing our ability to deliver consistent performance and long-term value to our customers.”
Air Liquide has been a key partner of OXEA’s Industrial Park Ruhrchemie in Oberhausen, where it has been producing oxygen, nitrogen and argon, since the late 1960s. Sebastian Jureczek, Managing Director of Air Liquide in Germany, stated: “Since 2010, Air Liquide has operated the Partial Oxidation plant in Oberhausen to produce synthetic gas and hydrogen, and today we are proud to extend this long-standing journey with OXEA. This contract renewal and our 20-million-euro investment in Oberhausen will ensure the highest standards of safety and supply reliability. This partnership also reinforces the Group’s commitment to the Oberhausen site as a high-performance hub in Germany, driven by industrial innovation and sustainable solutions.” T