Air Liquide pumps in EUR140 mn in low-carbon gas production in Québec
Through an investment of more than EUR140 million, Air Liquide announces that it will establish in Bécancour, Québec (Canada), a breakthrough platform supplying low-carbon industrial gases including hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and argon. In addition to the group’s 20 MW PEM electrolyser, currently the world’s largest in operation, the infrastructure created by Air Liquide will include a new air separation unit producing renewable oxygen and nitrogen, as well as liquid storage capacity, connected by a local pipeline network to best serve its customers.
This Air Liquide low-carbon production platform, in line with the industrial and port zone’s drive to decarbonise, makes Bécancour a unique place for the group to produce renewable industrial gases and develop offers for customers engaged in the energy transition.
Air Liquide will build, own and operate a production and distribution infrastructure, including a new air separation unit (ASU) producing oxygen, nitrogen and argon; as well as a liquid storage capacity. The new ASU will be powered by renewable energy from hydropower sources, in line with Air Liquide’s Advance plan to reduce its CO2 emissions by 33% by 2035. Adding a total oxygen production capacity of 850 tonnes/day, the new infrastructure will primarily supply customers manufacturing battery components for electric vehicles via long term contracts and should be operational in 2025.
The project will also connect its Bécancour PEM electrolyser, enabling the recovery and valorisation of renewable oxygen from the hydrogen production. Leveraging its production platform in the Bécancour port and industrial park, the group will be able to offer a sustainable solution to its customers.
As part of Québec’s development as an energy transition hub, this new investment will support growth in the electric vehicle battery sector, contributing to the decarbonisation of mobility. It will initially supply battery component manufacturers, including Ecopro CAM Canada (EcoProBM + Ford + SKO), and will have the capacity to supply others in the Bécancour area as well as bulk clients in Eastern Canada.
