APD Air Products and Chemicals Inc

Long-Term Hydrogen Supply Agreement Signed with U.S. Refiner for Clean Fuels Project LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products (NYSE:APD) announced today that it has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil Oil Corporation to build, own and operate an 18 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) hydrogen facility adjacent to the ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery in Illinois. The Air Products facility, an integrated steam methane reformer and recovery system processing refinery offgas, is expected to be on-stream in May 2006 and supply hydrogen and steam to ExxonMobil's Joliet Refinery under a long-term agreement. "We are pleased to begin working with ExxonMobil at Joliet, and at the same time extend a relationship that is over 20 years long with our involvement at other ExxonMobil facilities," said Jeff Byrne, Air Products' vice president and general manager, Refining and Process Industries. "Meeting the high reliability needs of our customers is one of Air Products' strengths and has led to numerous long-term relationships within the refining industry." Air Products' hydrogen production facility will assist ExxonMobil's Joliet Refinery to produce lower sulphur transportation fuels. The supply arrangement is one of over 30 that the company has undertaken with worldwide refiners in the past 15 years. The Joliet hydrogen facility will be the 27th to be built under the global alliance between Air Products and Technip. This alliance continues to provide the worldwide refining industry with competitive technology, plus world-class safety with "over the fence" hydrogen supply. Technip provides the design and construction for hydrogen generation units 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. This project adds to the list of hydrogen production facilities recently announced by Air Products which are currently under construction. These facilities are located in Port Arthur and Baytown, Texas; Convent, Louisiana; as well as Edmonton, Alberta and Sarnia, Ontario in Canada. About Air Products Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in technology, energy, healthcare and industrial markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of products, services and solutions, providing atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment and is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indices. The company has annual revenues of $7.4 billion, operations in over 30 countries, and nearly 20,000 employees around the globe. For more information, visit http://www.airproducts.com/. About Technip With a workforce of about 19,000 persons, Technip ranks among the top five corporations worldwide in the field of oil, gas and petrochemical engineering, construction and services. Headquartered in Paris, the Group is listed in New York and Paris. The Group's main engineering and business centers are located in France, Italy, Germany, the UK, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, the USA, Brazil, Abu-Dhabi, China, India, Malaysia and Australia. Technip is the leading supplier of hydrogen production facilities with more than 180 hydrogen plants and 200 steam methane reformers around the world. The Group has high- quality industrial and construction facilities in France, Brazil, the UK, the USA, Finland and Angola and has a fleet of specialized vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction. More information can be found at http://www.technip.com/. ***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations. DATASOURCE: Air Products CONTACT: Media Inquiries: (Air Products) Art George, +1-610-481-1340, , or (Technip) Laurence Bricq, +33 (0) 1 47 78 26 37, fax: +33 (0) 1 47 78 24 33, , or Marina Toncelli, +33 (0) 1 47 78 66 69, fax: +33 (0) 1 47 78 24 33, ; Investor Inquiries: (Air Products) Philip Sproger, +1-610-481-7461, Web site: http://www.technip.com/ Web site: http://www.airproducts.com/

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