Air Products to Acquire Shell's Coal Gasification Technology Business and Patent Portfolio for Liquids (Residue) Gasification
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced an agreement to acquire Royal Dutch Shell plc's (Shell's) Coal Gasification Technology business as well as Shell's patent portfolio for Liquids (Residue) Gasification. Financial terms are not being disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to close in the coming months.
As a leading industrial gas company, Air Products has extended its onsite supply model to use coal gasification to generate synthesis gas (syngas) for major projects. Acquiring Shell's coal gasification process capabilities will further support previously announced projects by Air Products, such as Lu'An in Changzhi, Shanxi Province, China, and future projects.
Shell has been at the forefront of gasification innovation over the past 50 years. Gasification technologies offer a way to take varied lower-value feedstocks and convert them in a lower-emission manner into syngas. Air Products can then provide this syngas to customers to make higher-value products.
"The acquisition of Shell's technology, already in operation at more than 20 coal gasification plants, gives us access and opportunities to fully explore outsourcing options to produce and supply syngas for customers planning to use gasification," said Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and chief executive officer at Air Products. Ghasemi emphasized this acquisition supports Air Products' continued focus on providing a full scope of industrial gases, rather than a strategic shift into technology licensing.
In addition, the two companies also have formed a strategic alliance in Liquids Gasification to provide a range of solutions to the market, including engineering, procurement and construction activities and plant operations, as well as technology licensing. Ghasemi said Air Products looks forward to an important role as a project operating partner for the supply of industrial gases in the strategic alliance and leveraging Shell's technology lead in the liquids gasification area, as demonstrated at the world-scale Jazan combined Gasification/Refinery project in Jazan Economic City, Saudi Arabia.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE:APD) is a world-leading Industrial Gases company in operation for over 75 years. The Company's core industrial gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment.
The Company had fiscal 2017 sales of $8.2 billion from continuing operations in 50 countries and has a current market capitalization of about $35 billion. Approximately 15,000 passionate, talented and committed employees from a diversity of backgrounds are driven by Air Products' higher purpose to create innovative solutions that benefit the environment, enhance sustainability and address the challenges facing customers, communities and the world. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.
About Royal Dutch Shell plc
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 70 countries and territories with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of liquefied natural gas and gas to liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects. For further information, visit www.shell.com.
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, 2017.
SOURCE Air Products
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