The Air Liquide Group has reached a major milestone in its long-standing relationship with Oxea by expanding its production capabilities at Oxea’s site in Bay City, Texas, in the United States.
This strategic $200 million dollar investment involves the construction of a new, high-efficiency Partial Oxidation (POX) unit and underscores Air Liquide’s technological leadership and commitment to capturing growth in a key industrial basin.
The Group will build a new innovative high-efficiency Partial Oxidation (POX) unit scheduled for the beginning of 2029. The unit will provide reliable, large-scale syngas and low-carbon hydrogen production to support Oxea's rising chemical demand, but also the expansion of its oxo-alcohols and performance chemicals operations, leveraging its long-standing presence at one of the most feedstock-advantaged sites in the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Thanks to an original design by Air Liquide’s engineering teams, the new plant comes with a high environmental efficiency. An innovative carbon dioxide (CO2) recycling loop enables the recirculation of CO2 back into Oxea’s reactor to optimize syngas composition and production. The facility will partially replace some existing facilities and will reduce the Group’s net CO2 emissions by approximately 64,000 tonnes per year in spite of providing additional capacity.
Expansion reasoning
By expanding its robust pipeline network and industrial footprint in the U.S. Gulf Coast, Air Liquide continues to support its partners further expand in the United States, and seize opportunities in key industrial basins with low-carbon, competitive, innovative and reliable solutions.
Matthieu Giard, Group Executive Committee member, notably in charge of supervising operations in the Americas, stated:
"This project represents a significant opportunity to align industrial growth and efficiency while demonstrating that competitive solutions can also support climate objectives. We are proud to invest alongside industrial partners who are actively expanding in the U.S. market. By deploying new technologies and CO2 recycling capabilities in Bay City, Air Liquide is delivering a solution that ensures both superior reliability and efficiency for our customer."
