Air Liquide (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) recently signed a new long term agreement with Pemex Transformación Industrial, a subsidiary of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), the state-owned oil-and-gas company, to supply hydrogen to Pemex’s refinery located at Tula de Allende, in the state of Hidalgo in the central region of Mexico. Through a €50-million investment for the take over and optimization of Pemex’s existing hydrogen production unit, this agreement will allow Air Liquide to strengthen its presence in central Mexico.
According to the long-term contract, Air Liquide Mexico will acquire, upgrade and operate the customer’s existing hydrogen production unit (steam methane reformer; SMR) in order to supply 90,000 Nm3/h of H2 to the Pemex refinery. The acquisition of the SMR is subject to closing conditions, including the approval of the Mexican antitrust authority.
Expected to start operations in the first quarter of 2018, Air Liquide’s upgraded SMR will provide hydrogen to Pemex with optimal safety and reliability to help produce cleaner fuels at the Tula refinery. Hydrogen is used in the petroleum refining process to help produce cleaner transportation fuels.
Air Liquide entered the Mexican industrial gases market in 2011 and now operates eight plants including the largest air separation unit in the country located in northern Mexico. With key locations in north and central Mexico, Air Liquide´s main business activities include Large Industries and Industrial Merchant, offering innovative solutions to steel, automotive, metal fabrication, aeronautics and energy industries.