French firm Air Liquide inaugurates new oxygen plant in Nagpur

Nagpur: French company Air Liquide has inaugurated its new oxygen plant and cylinder filling station here.

Air Liquide India has inaugurated its new oxygen plant (air separation unit) and cylinder filling station (CFS) in MIDC Butibori, Nagpur, Maharashtra, marking the start of commercial operations here, the company said in a release.

The new air separation unit (ASU), the group’s fifth in India, has a production capacity of 70 tonnes per day and fills 3,000 cylinders per day. The plant will support small and medium-sized customers of liquid and packaged gases, including healthcare facilities and other industries in the region, it added.

“Around 50-60 direct and indirect employment will be generated for the local communities as a direct result of this new plant. This ASU is the second plant of Air Liquide in Maharashtra.

“Spread over a built-up area of seven acres with an investment of Rs 120 crores, this state-of-the-art production facility will meet the local manufacturing demand for quality industrial gas products, optimising their production costs and improving supply reliability,” the release said.

The ASU has the capacity to produce liquid oxygen and nitrogen, while the CFS can deliver oxygen, nitrogen, argon and argon-CO2 mixtures.

The ASU and CFS were successfully launched under the Mission Oxygen Swavalamban scheme promoted by the Maharashtra government towards building self-sufficiency in medical oxygen production in the state.

Air Liquide India is a key supplier to the Indian gas industry and has been present in the country since 1996.

It owns production facilities in north and west India with a production capacity of almost 1,500 tonnes per day of oxygen, nitrogen, argon and hydrogen gases.

“The new ASU and CFS will contribute to Air Liquide’s expansion strategy in India and contribute to the growth of industries and the healthcare sector in this region. Being close to our customers in order to provide a high level of safety, reliability and quality services will always be our priority,” Air Liquide India Managing Director Benoit Renard said.