OREANDA-NEWS. December 10, 2012. ZAO Air Liquide Severstal, a joint venture between Air Liquide and OAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, has successfully launched a plant to produce industrial gases for CherMC at Cherepovets Steel Mill, part of Severstal’s Russian Steel Division. The total investment in the project has reached 50 million euros.

The daily production capacity of the plant is two thousand tons of gaseous oxygen. As well as oxygen the unit will produce nitrogen, argon and rare gases.

The new air separation plant has been designed and constructed by Air Liquide on time and on budget and to the highest safety standards. It will be operated by Air Liquide Severstal. Together with existing plant the new facility will enable Air Liquide Severstal to build up its production capacity at the site to five thousand tons of gaseous oxygen per day.

The plant incorporates cutting-edge energy-efficient technologies designed to help minimize global warming and will reduce annual atmospheric emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 24 thousand tons.

The new air separation unit is the latest modernization initiative at the Cherepovets production site and will enhance the stability and reliability of Severstal's supplies of industrial gases.

Dmitir Ermolov, General Director of Air Liquide in Russia, said: "We regard this project as yet another sign of confidence on the part of Severstal, which is our principal partner in Russia, and note with satisfaction one more successful step made by this industrial outsourcing model adopted in Russia.”

Aleksandr Grubman, General Director of the Severstal Russian Steel division commented: "This is our second joint project with Air Liquide at CherMC. The new plant, whose capacity is twice that of the existing facilities, will form the base for providing the steel mill with air separation products. Its commissioning is one more step in the modernization program of Severstal's industrial equipment. We are also cooperating with Air Liquide in another region where we are present. In the town of Balakovo (Saratov Oblast) Air Liquide is carrying out an industrial gas project to satisfy the needs of ZAO Severstal - Sortovoy Zavod Balakovo in oxygen, nitrogen, and argon.”

ZAO Air Liquide Severstal is a joint venture established in 2005 between Air Liquide and OAO Severstal, holding 75 % and 25 % of the share capital respectively. The venture’s air separation facility includes two separation plants to meet the oxygen requirements of Cherepovets Steel Mill.