Airgas USA, LLC (Radnor, Pa.; www.airgas.com), an Air Liquide company, announced plans to increase its presence in California with the construction of a new liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) production facility in Stockton, CA and the expansion of an air separation unit (ASU) in Etiwanda, CA. Once on-stream, the two facilities will significantly increase the company’s merchant gas capabilities in the state.
The new facility in Stockton, CA will produce liquid CO2 and support the manufacturing of dry ice used in a variety of customer applications, from water treatment and food chilling to freezing systems and brewing and winemaking. The plant’s process will use CO2 by-product from Pacific Ethanol’s nearby ethanol production facility. With the additional plant in Stockton, Airgas will have three strategically located CO2 plants in Northern, Central, and Southern California.
The expansion of the existing air separation unit in Etiwanda, CA will increase available supply of industrial gases to customers throughout Southern California. The expansion will produce cryogenic liquid nitrogen and oxygen to support the region’s merchant bulk gas market supplying a range of industries including healthcare, chemical, food and beverage, steel, glass, electronics as well as oil and gas industries.
The ASU expansion will be constructed within the existing facility, an energy-efficient ASU first inaugurated in 2011 by Air Liquide.
Pascal Vinet, Airgas Chief Executive Officer, commented: “With these two new production facilities in California, we are continuing to bolster our network of Airgas production facilities throughout the region in this important and growing market. The facilities will enhance our gas supply chain output and fortify long-term reliability for our packaged and merchant gas customers throughout the western United States.”