LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air
Products (NYSE: APD) and MATHESON, a member of the Taiyo Nippon
Sanso Corporation (TNSC) group, today announced that on-site
construction has commenced on a new, jointly-owned liquid helium
production plant near Big Piney,
Wyoming. The plant, designed to produce 200 million
standard cubic feet per year at start-up, with expectations for
future expansion to 400 million standard cubic feet per year, would
process crude helium produced by a natural gas processing facility
that would be operated by Cimarex Energy Co.
The Cimarex facility, which is currently under construction,
will process natural gas from the Riley Ridge Field in Wyoming, one of the largest helium-rich
natural gas fields in the United
States. The Riley Ridge field is believed to contain
sufficient helium reserves to support production for decades.
Production at the new Wyoming plant is anticipated to commence in
2011.
Air Products, the global leader in helium production, has
pioneered many of the helium extraction, production, distribution
and storage technologies used in the industry today. Air
Products maintains the world's largest helium production and
distribution system and operates numerous facilities around the
world.
"The Big Piney plant will
further diversify our helium source portfolio and enhance our
ability to reliably serve our customer base," said John Van Sloun, general manager - Worldwide
Helium at Air Products. "We are excited to be involved with
this project as a direct participant because it will enable us to
provide high on stream operations and reliable supply." Van
Sloun added, "Air Products continues to look for other helium
source opportunities where we can participate both as an investor
and an operator."
MATHESON manages the global helium business of TNSC under the
name MATHESON Global Helium. TNSC is the leading helium
supplier in Japan, and is one of
only five major industrial gas companies in the world with direct
access to helium sources.
"The helium produced from the Big Piney Plant will help to
solidify MATHESON's helium supply for the long term and will give
us the opportunity to grow our business. We are pleased that
our newest source will be located in Wyoming, close to our existing supply from
ExxonMobil, which will enable us to have a simple, efficient and
reliable supply chain to serve our customers located in the U.S.
and Asian markets," said Phil
Kornbluth, executive vice president, International and
Helium for MATHESON.
To view the complete news release, visit Air Products' online
Press Room at
www.airproducts.com/PressRoom/CompanyNews/Archived/2010/12Oct2010.htm.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements
within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are
based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of
the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual
performance and financial results may differ materially from
projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking
statements because of many factors not anticipated by management,
including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its
fiscal year ended September 30,
2009.
SOURCE Air Products
Copyright . 12 PR Newswire