Air Products said the buyout further strengthens its broader gasification technology portfolio and integrates technical and engineering resources in China, which will enable it to leverage its complete competence in the field and strengthen its position in the global market.

When acquiring the GE business, the US gases producer said the deal would extend its onsite industrial gas production model to include syngas supply and enable cross-selling opportunities for its other technologies and products.

With the buy, Air Products gained access to what it said were more than 1,000 patents relating to GE’s gasification technology, deployed at over 90 sites and representing more than 36,000 MWth (thermal megawatts) of syngas production.

The latest investment is another step to support the company’s gasification growth strategy that addresses the world’s energy and environmental challenges, said Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and CEO of Air Products.

Last year, Air Products announced a $2 billion coal-to-methanol project located in Indonesia. The company is also executing a number of world-scale gasification projects including the Jiutai and Debang projects in China, as well as the Jazan project in Saudi Arabia, which supplies oxygen and nitrogen to Saudi Aramco's refinery and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist