Air Products, a world leader in industrial gases and large-scale project development, execution and operation, announced the signing of a long-term supply agreement with Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), India’s flagship national oil company. Air Products will build, own and operate (BOO) a new industrial gases complex supplying hydrogen, nitrogen and steam to IOCL’s Barauni Refinery in Bihar, India.

The new industrial gas complex will aid IOCL’s capacity expansion from six to nine million tonnes per annum producing Euro-VI or BS-VI compliant gasoline and diesel at its Barauni complex. The industrial gas complex will include the latest generation multi-feed hydrogen production facility supplying 70,000 normal cubic meters per hour (Nm3/hr) of hydrogen as well as steam, and a high-efficiency air separation unit producing 4,000 Nm3/hr of nitrogen.

Air Products expects the new industrial gas complex for IOCL to come onstream in 2024.

Air Products’ chief operating officer Dr. Samir J. Serhan said, “We are honored to work with IOCL, the largest petroleum refining company and largest Public Sector Undertaking in India. As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, our latest strategic investment in India will provide an efficient combination of industrial gas production technologies, enabling IOCL to meet ever-increasing transportation fuel demand. We look forward to reliably supplying IOCL’s industrial gas needs for decades to come.”

Juan Gonzalez, vice president, Large Project Business Development, Air Products Middle East, Egypt, Turkey and India, said, “We are proud to work with IOCL as they look to significantly expand their operations at Barauni. We look forward to bringing our global expertise, experience and world-class engineering capabilities to this project.”

Once completed, the Barauni project will be Air Products’ second BOO project in India, after the Kochi Industrial Gas complex at BPCL’s Kochi Refinery.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE:APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 80 years. Focused on serving energy, environment and emerging markets, the Company provides essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemical, metals, electronics, manufacturing, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the global leader in the supply of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment. The Company develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest industrial gas projects, including: gasification projects that sustainably convert abundant natural resources into syngas for the production of high-value power, fuels and chemicals; carbon capture projects; and world-scale low- and zero-carbon hydrogen projects supporting global transportation and the energy transition.

About Indian Oil Corporation Limited

With a 33,000-plus work-force, extensive refining, distribution & marketing infrastructure and advanced R&D facilities, IndianOil has been providing energy access to millions of people across the length and breadth of the country through its ever-expanding network of customer touch points, currently numbering over 50,000. With a turnover of Rs. 6,05,924 crore and a net profit of Rs. 16,894 crore for the fiscal 2018-19, IndianOil is one the largest and most trusted corporate in the Country, touching the lives of over a billion Indians.