BOC (Shanghai, China) and Maanshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. (Ma Steel) signed a contract to form a 50/50 industrial gases joint venture to meet the growing industrial gases needs of Ma Steel in Maanshan City, Anhui Province, China.

BOC (Shanghai, China; http://www.boc.com) and Maanshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. (Ma Steel) signed a contract to form a 50/50 industrial gases joint venture to meet the growing industrial gases needs of Ma Steel in Maanshan City, Anhui Province, China. The joint venture, Maanshan BOC-Ma Steel Gases Company Ltd., will initially invest nearly US$100 million-60% of which will be registered capital-in building and operating two large air separation units each capable of producing 1,400 tonnes a day of oxygen. The plants will produce a combined total of more than 5,000 tonnes a day of oxygen, nitrogen and argon and are expected to come on stream in 2007.