Two weeks after starting up its new syngas plant in Geismar, Praxair Inc. has authorized the construction of a world scale hydrogen plant in Louisiana to supply product under a long-term contract with a major refinery in the area.
The new plant‚ one of the largest in the nation, will be integrated with Praxair’s already extensive Louisiana production network via its Mississippi River Corridor hydrogen pipeline system.
Praxair—a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde—will build, own and operate the steam methane reformer, which will have a capacity in excess of 170 million standard cubic feet per day of high-purity hydrogen. The new plant, scheduled to start up in 2021, will be one of the largest hydrogen production units in the U.S., along with the SMR recently announced by Praxair in Texas.
Linde Engineering will provide process design and fabricate the core components and modules of the plant. Once complete, this project will increase Praxair’s U.S. Gulf Coast hydrogen capacity to more than 1.7 billion standard cubic feet per day.
“Praxair is committed to be the preferred hydrogen supplier in the U.S. Gulf Coast and this investment further reinforces our strategy to support industrial growth in this vibrant region,” says Global Hydrogen President Dan Yankowski. “We understand that hydrogen is a critical requirement for our customers and are committed to providing long-term reliability.”
Hydrogen is used by petroleum refiners to produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel and other transportation fuels and by chemical companies to manufacture some critical intermediates and specialty chemicals. Demand for clean fuels continues to grow in order to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
