The Linde Group expands gases supply in Ningbo

The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.linde.com) has entered into two new contracts for the on-site supply of gases to the companies Ningbo Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. and Hanwha Chemical Corp. (HCC) in Ningbo in eastern China. Under the agreements, Linde will build an additional air separation plant at the emerging industrial site on the Yangtze delta, an investment of around 17 million euros. The new plant will supply an extra 21,000 scmh (standard cubic metres per hour) of oxygen to the steelworks of Ningbo Steel in Ningbo Beilun district from the middle of 2009. Linde Gas Ningbo, a fully-owned subsidiary of The Linde Group, has been supplying the largest integrated producer of iron and steel in the region exclusively since 2007 with a total of 42,000 scmh of oxygen and 40,000 scmh of nitrogen from two air separation plants. “The construction of this third air separation plant will ensure that we are able to meet the rising demand from Ningbo Steel for air gases as a result of its expansion in steel production,” says Aldo Belloni, member of the executive board of Linde AG. “The new supply agreements with Ningbo Steel and Hanwha Chemicals are yet another step on the way towards establishing the biggest cluster for…