Praxair Signs Conoco to $200 Million Contract

Praxair Inc. this week announced a $200 million long-term contract to supply gaseous hydrogen to a Conoco Inc. refinery in Lake Charles, LA, and an expansion of its Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline capacity.

Conoco will use about 75% of the new hydrogen capacity in its refinery for a more cost-effective manufacture of clean burning fuels required by the U.S. Clean Air Act. Currently, Praxair delivers back-up hydrogen to Conoco's Lake Charles refinery and also supples industrial gases to Conoco refineries in Ponco City, OK, and Billings, MT.

Praxair will build and operate a hydrogen purification plant at a PPG Industries Inc., facility in Lake Charles, LA. When completed in early 1999, the plant will purify and compress hydrogen by-product from PPG's chlor-alkali production process for delivery via pipeline to Conoco and other customers.

Praxair supplies large-volume industrial gases, cylinder gases and specialized services to more than 50 refineries and petrochemical plants in the Gulf Coast, which stretch from Baton Rouge, LA, to the Houston ship channel.

Conoco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DuPont Company, is an integrated international energy company. It operates four refineries in the U.S. and produces more than 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum product per day.

Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America. The company produces, sells, and distributes atmospheric, process, and specialty gases, and high performance surface coatings.