Air Liquide Expansion Doubles Output in KZN

Regional Manager, Bruno Schroeven says the plant is “performing beyond expectation.” “The performance of the new liquefier meets local growth ambitions and takes away the dependence on plants in Gauteng and Secunda,” says Bruno. “As such, the new liquefier has doubled our production capacity in the region and has improved the service and reliability of supply of LIN (Liquid Nitrogen).” says Bruno

The liquefier has the brand name OSCAL™ and was built by Air Liquide Standard Plant Engineering (ALSPE) in France. “The liquefier is one of a new generation of highly efficient plants built by Air Liquide. The installation in South Africa is proof of Air Liquide Southern Africa’s ability to harness its global technological expertise for local markets. The plant is designed as a proprietary technology for modular capacity expansion,” Larousse adds.

The additional production of LIN will be filled into new storage and will be used to supply various customers in and around the Durban and Richards Bay area, bringing our installed storage capacity to more than 1500 tons.

“We have added 3 bulk tankers to our fleet, which will supply customers in the Region,” says Bruno.

Schroeven echoes Larousse’s sentiments: “The increase in LIN production will meet the growth requirement of our customers in the Chemical, Food, Mining and Agricultural Industries.”

Air Liquide’s strategy here has common objectives to the previously announced CO2 investments. “We are bringing our supply capacities closer to our customers, providing reduced exposure to transport risks and cost escalations, while improving reliability of supply from a multiple-source network as well as environmental impact.”