Air Products announced that its joint venture in India, INOX Air Products Ltd, has brought a new air separation unit (ASU) on-stream to supply gaseous products to Essar Steel. The 900-metric-tons-per-day ASU will supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon to support the increasing steel production of Essar Steel in Hazira, Gujarat State, under a long-term contract. The plant will also supply liquid products to meet the demand in the local market.
The ASU at Essar Steel, which is one of the top six steel producers in India, is the third major on-site plant that INOX Air Products has commissioned for the Indian steel industry. India’s crude steel production was over 44 million metric tons in 2006 and is expected to surpass 70 million metric tons by 2012.