France’s Total SA has let a long-term contract to Praxair Inc., Danbury, Conn., to supply industrial gases to its refining and petrochemical platform in Antwerp, Belgium.
Praxair will deliver oxygen and nitrogen to Total’s operations at the Port of Antwerp to meet the company’s increased demand for industrial gases required for several applications and processes in its 338,000-b/d Antwerp refinery and adjoining petrochemical businesses, Praxair said.
Praxair, which is expanding its recently build oxygen pipeline an additional 3 miles to connect with the Antwerp refinery, also plans to extend its nitrogen pipeline on the west bank of the Scheldt river to improve service to both new and existing petrochemical customers in the area, the service company said.
Extension of the nitrogen pipeline comes alongside large capacity and infrastructure investments made at the port over the past several years, which has increased demand for nitrogen to be used for blanketing and inerting of chemicals in storage, Praxair said.
The oxygen and nitrogen pipeline extensions are due to be operational in this year’s second half, Praxair said.
While Praxair did not disclose a value of its contract with Total, the service company did confirm the oxygen and nitrogen supply agreement comes as part of the French operator’s more than €1-billion modernization project under way at its Antwerp production sites (OGJ Online, May 23, 2013).
Since announcing the modernization program in 2013, Total has let a series of contracts for upgrading and integration projects, which include additions of a solvent deasphalting unit, a mild hydrocracking unit, as well as a plant to convert refinery fuel gases into petrochemical feedstock, (OGJ Online, Sept. 24, 2014; Apr. 3, 2014; July 15, 2013).
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].