Air Products (APD), a global industrial gas company, and Sonatrach, the state-owned oil and gas company in Africa, have signed two gas production and delivery agreements. Conducted through both companies’ joint venture (JV), HELIOS, the deals have a combined value of USD 100M.
Through the deal, Sonatrach will recover helium from two existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities (GL1Z and GL3Z), and that helium will be delivered to HELIOS’ existing liquid helium plant in Arzew. The HELIOS plant is an important part of Air Products’ total global helium source portfolio, and the new feedstock will increase the amount of liquid helium produced by the JV plant.
Another important component of Air Products’ and Sonatrach’s agreement is that Air Products will design and build, and HELIOS will own and operate, two new air separation plants in Algeria. One will be located in the Hassi Messaoud District, with the second in Arzew. Once in operation, these plants will produce nitrogen, oxygen and argon, which will be supplied to the Algerian and Maghreb markets through Sonatrach’s subsidiary, COGIZ.
These latest agreements are part of Sonatrach’s 2030 Vision for growth, which includes a multi-billion dollar investment program to expand Algeria’s energy sector and infrastructure.
Air Products has built a solid foundation in Algeria since entering the market over 40 years ago. The company’s proprietary process technology and main cryogenic heat exchangers are in operation at Sonatrach’s LNG facilities in Skikda and Arzew, with both facilities making up a significant portion of Algeria’s LNG exports.
