Air Liquide has entered into an agreement with the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture to build a new purification and processing facility to deliver a supply of high-quality carbon dioxide (CO2) to Australian industries.
As part of the long-term CO2 supply agreement, Air Liquide will build, own and operate a brand new CO2 processing and purification facility. This facility will be constructed next to the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant, owned by Gippsland Basin Joint Venture and operated by Esso Australia, which will capture CO2 from its operations and supply it to Air Liquide for purification and reuse. The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture is a 50-50 joint venture between BHP Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd and Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd.
Construction of the new Air Liquide facility and modifications to the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant are expected to begin in 2021, subject to regulatory approvals. Approximately 60 local jobs are expected to be created during the construction phase of the project.
The purified CO2 will serve Australian businesses in a broad range of industries where quality and reliability of supply are a necessity. This includes food, beverage, water treatment, desalination, hospitality, manufacturing and medical industries.
Marcos Etcheverrigaray, Managing Director of Pacific Industrial, Air Liquide, said: “This agreement with the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture demonstrates our shared commitment to contribute to improving the sustainability of our operations. It will help promote a supply of this ingredient which is vital for a great number of our Australian customers.”