Construction of a new production facility to supply carbon dioxide (CO2) to industry will begin this year, industrial gas company Air Liquide announced.
Air Liquide has entered into an agreement with the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture, a 50-50 joint venture between BHP Petroleum (Bass Strait) and Esso Australia Resources, to build a new purification and processing facility to deliver a supply of high-quality CO2 to Australian industries.
As part of this long-term CO2 supply agreement, Air Liquide will build, own and operate a CO2 processing and purification facility. It will be constructed next to the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant, owned by Gippsland Basin Joint Venture and operated by Esso Australia, which will capture CO2 from its operations and supply it to Air Liquide for purification and re-use.
Air Liquide managing director of Pacific Industrial Marcos Etcheverrigaray said: “This agreement with the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture demonstrates our shared commitment to contribute to improving the sustainability of our operations. It will help promote a supply of this ingredient which is vital for a great number of our Australian customers.”
The purified CO2 will serve Australian businesses in a broad range of industries where quality and reliability of supply are a necessity. This includes food, beverage, water treatment, desalination, hospitality, manufacturing and medical industries.
Construction of the new Air Liquide facility and modifications to the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant are expected to begin in 2021, subject to regulatory approvals. Approximately 60 local jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the project.
