Linde to invest US$1.4bn in Exxon Singapore supply deal

LINDE is investing US$1.4bn to expand its gasification complex at Jurong Island in Singapore as part of a gas supply deal with ExxonMobil.

The industrial gases firm will build and operate four additional gasifiers, a 1,200 t/d air separation plant, and downstream gas processing units and sulfur recovery plants. The plants will upgrade heavy residue feedstocks from ExxonMobil’s refinery on Jurong Island, producing hydrogen and synthesis gas for the refiner and other local customers. The investment will quadruple Linde’s present production capacity and the associated gas supply contract is the largest in the history of Linde.

Sanjiv Lamba, Executive Vice President for Linde Asia-Pacific, said, "Our Jurong Island facility has a long-standing history of processing refinery residue to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This expansion will allow us to process these additional heavy residues efficiently while delivering a highly competitive and reliable source of hydrogen and synthesis gas to ExxonMobil and other customers.”

Linde’s Engineering division is designing and building the new plants. Construction is scheduled to start in the second half of this year with startup set for 2023.

In April, ExxonMobil announced a multi-billion dollar expansion of its Singapore refining and petrochemical facilities.