The new Air Liquide plant processes the biogas emitted by the Rockford waste treatment site in Illinois. With a production capacity of 380 GWh, this is the most ambitious project ever launched by Air Liquide.
Scheduled for completion in 2023, this project will enable the Group to establish itself as a serious competitor in the industrial gas market, particularly in the United States.
A second biomethane production plant is also under construction in Wisconsin. Scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2022, it will treat gases from a landfill site in the Delavan commune.
Air Liquide makes a success of its industrial transition
Air Liquide’s business has historically focused on industrial and medical gases. Since 1902, the company has been selling oxygen to the medical sector and nitrogen to high-tech industries. It claims sales of $20 billion by 2020.
Today, the company is asserting its decision to invest in biomethane in order to leverage its expertise in industrial gas.
Air Liquide masters the entire complex process of biomethane production. Waste treatment produces biogas, which has to be purified before being liquefied for distribution.
It already has 21 biomethane production units worldwide, producing 1.4 TWh. This value is set to rise to 1.8 TWh with new projects in the United States.
The biomethane produced will be used to power the transportation of its partners’ goods. With this investment, Air Liquide hopes to become a major player in the energy transition for manufacturers.
