Air Products to Supply Hydrogen to ExxonMobil in Rotterdam

New Plant to Feature Environmental and Operational Technology Advancements.

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. – Air Products (NYSE: APD), the leading global hydrogen provider, today announced a long-term supply contract and plans to build a new world-scale hydrogen production plant to serve ExxonMobil’s (Esso) Rotterdam refinery in The Netherlands and additional customers in the region. The plant will feature technology advancements to maximize facility energy efficiency and emission reductions. It will be connected to Air Products’ extensive Rotterdam hydrogen pipeline network system and is expected to be on-stream in the second half of 2011.

“We are proud to strengthen our relationship with ExxonMobil with this new contract in Europe and to build a new state-of-the-art hydrogen production facility,” said Howard Castle-Smith, vice president–Tonnage Gases, Equipment and Energy for Air Products in Europe and the Middle East. “This project enhances Air Products’ existing operations and pipeline network system in the Netherlands where we have a number of hydrogen facilities in the Rotterdam region supplying the refining and chemical industries. This new project demonstrates our commitment to a region which has made hydrogen a key to its continued development.”

“The new hydrogen facility will use cutting edge processes and technology to maximize energy efficiency and significantly reduce overall plant emissions,” said Denis Deheusch, general manager–Tonnage Gases for Air Products in the Benelux. “We will be able to achieve this through an enhanced plant design which targets minimal loss of heat to the environment and a reduced natural gas requirement.”

The Rotterdam project builds on two previous announcements in the past year involving Air Products and ExxonMobil in the United States. Air Products is building a new world-scale hydrogen production facility which will supply ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana facility, and also announced a hydrogen pipeline supply agreement from Air Products’ Gulf Coast network to ExxonMobil’s Baytown, Texas refinery. Both projects are to come on-stream in 2010.

Air Products’ hydrogen facility in Rotterdam will be built through the global alliance between Air Products and Technip. This alliance, which has built over 30 hydrogen production facilities, continues to provide the worldwide refining industry with competitive technology and world-class safety. Technip provides the design and construction expertise for steam reformers while Air Products provides the gas separation technology. Air Products, through its extensive operating network, and Technip, from its large reference base, also bring effective operational and engineering knowledge to “design-in” high reliability and efficiency. The plants are operated and maintained by Air Products under long-term agreements with customers. More information on this global alliance, which has been in place since 1992, can be found at:
www.H2alliance.com

Air Products has been active in Rotterdam since the early 1970s, and has continuously expanded and invested. It operates production facilities in Botlek, Pernis, Chemiehaven and Europoort and manages an extensive network of pipelines. The new hydrogen plant will add four miles of pipeline to the existing 35-mile hydrogen system managed by Air Products in the region. Globally, Air Products’ pipeline operational expertise is evidenced by its network of systems. Besides Rotterdam, Air Products operates the largest hydrogen pipeline network in the U.S. Gulf Coast and has additional pipelines in Southern California, and Sarnia, Ontario, and Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.