(Archived) Yara Praxair to Build Air Separation Plant

DANBURY, Conn., October 21, 2010 — Yara Praxair, a 50-50 joint venture between Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) and Yara International ASA, will invest in a new air separation plant to be located in Perstorp, Sweden. The plant, with a capacity of 200 tons per day, is scheduled to start up in 2012.

In addition to meeting the increasing demand for oxygen, nitrogen and argon from industrial customers in southern Sweden and in Denmark, the investment will strengthen Yara Praxair’s overall supply capabilities in Scandinavia. Environmental, quality, productivity and energy-efficiency benefits are the impetus behind increased use of these gases.

“After five years of developing our carbon dioxide and cylinder-gas business in Sweden, and with Yara Praxair’s successful strategy in creating new volume through application technologies, an investment in an air separation plant is a natural next step to support growing demand,” said Per Kværum, Yara Praxair Scandinavia’s managing director.

Major international companies operate at Perstorp Industrial Park. In the midst of the beech forests of the region of Skåne, almost 2,000 employees are involved in R&D and high-tech production. Specialty chemicals, materials for the electronics industry, laminate flooring, plastics and many other industrial products are manufactured in the park. The majority of the products are destined for export to customers worldwide.

Yara Praxair is one of Scandinavia’s leading industrial gases suppliers, offering a complete range of atmospheric, process and specialty gases to a wide variety of industries such as food and beverages, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. With 300 employees and more than 150 agents, Yara Praxair serves more than 30,000 customers in Scandinavia. More information is available at www.yarapraxair.com.

Yara International is the world’s largest supplier of crop nutrients with operations and offices in more than 50 countries and sales to more than 120 countries. It is the only fertilizer company with a global presence, operating in all major regions with a strong position in diverse markets, from chemicals to dry ice.

Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2009 sales of $9 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.