Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) has announced the startup of a new air-separation unit (ASU) in Pisco, located in the central region of Peru. The plant’s capacity is 270 tons per day. Under a longterm contract, Praxair will increase its supply of oxygen to Aceros Arequipa, Peru’s largest long steel maker, to meet the company’s expanding steel production capacity. This is Praxair’s third plant serving Aceros Arequipa’s Pisco facility.
The new supply will enable Aceros Arequipa to expand its production of corrugated iron, steel wire rods and other steel products used in Peru’s construction sector. Aceros Arequipa produces more than one million tons of steel products annually.