Air Liquide to invest US$200 mn to support chemical manufacturing expansion in Texas

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 US. This strategic US$200 million investment involves the construction of a new, high-efficiency Partial Oxidation (POX) unit, underscores Air Liquide’s technological leadership and commitment to capturing growth in a key industrial basin.

The group will build a new 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 US 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.

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 US, and seize opportunities in key industrial basins with low-carbon, competitive, innovative and reliable solutions, the firm adds.