Air Products starts up Chilean liquid gases plant
Air Products said Thursday it opened a new 84-tpd industrial gases plant producing liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon in Puerto Varas, Chile.
The company will operate the facility via Indura, a South American joint venture with a majority stake held by Air Products.
The new facility, which includes a cylinder filling system, will serve local industry, including the burgeoning aquaculture market.
The location in Puerto Varas, which is more than 1,000 miles south of Santiago, makes it the world's southern-most industrial gas plant serving the merchant market.
Besides aquaculture, the facility will also supply the metalworking, health and food industries.
"We are proud of the opening of this new facility as we continue to build our business in this exciting growth region," said Mike Olivares, vice president and general manager of Air Products' merchant gases business in Latin America.
Indura has annual sales of $478 million. Its integrated gas and retail business includes liquid bulk, small on-sites and packaged gases, according to the company. In July, Air Products purchased a majority stake in Indura.
Air Products already had existing interests in Latin America, through wholly-owned businesses in Brazil, Argentina and its Mexican joint venture, Grupo Infra.
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