Adnoc signs agreement with Linde to explore industrial gases

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) signed an agreement yesterday with the Linde Group of Germany to explore the expansion of nitrogen facilities in Ruwais, under the auspices of its Adnoc Linde Industrial Gases joint venture.

The agreement was signed on the final day of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec).

Linde, which has partnered with the oil company since 2007, will carry out a frontend engineering and design (Feed) study for new air separation units, which are intended to satisfy the expanding nitrogen requirements of Adnoc’s gas processing, petrochemicals and refining businesses.

Further steps will follow as the two companies work together to meet expected demand for industrial gases from Adnoc’s downstream businesses. “In line with its 2030 smart growth strategy, Adnoc plans to expand and diversify its downstream refining and petrochemicals activities, while also optimising efficiency and costs,” said Abdulaziz Al Hajri, downstream director at Adnoc.

“As part of our strategic plan to increase volumes of industrial gases, the Ruwais Air Separation Unit Project will be carried out in two phases, each with the capacity to produce 70,000 cubic metres per hour of nitrogen.”

Adnoc Industrial Gases produces gaseous nitrogen, liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen at its sites in Abu Dhabi.

The Linde agreement comes a day after Adnoc and Spain’s Cepsa agreed to study plans to build a world-scale linear alkyl benzene complex at Ruwais, to be integrated with Adnoc’s refinery facility, amid further discussions between on future collaborations in upstream and downstream projects.