(Archived) Praxair to Supply North West Redwater Partnership

DANBURY, Conn., April 22, 2013 – Praxair Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) today announced it has entered into a long-term agreement with North West Redwater Partnership (NWR) to build, own and operate an air separation facility at NWR’s Sturgeon Refinery near Edmonton, Alberta.

The new, state-of-the-art air separation plant will be able to produce 2,000 tons per day of oxygen and associated volumes of nitrogen and merchant argon. The plant is scheduled to start-up in 2016 and will be Praxair’s third, world-scale plant in the province.

The NWR gasification process will consume oxygen to produce hydrogen, which is used to upgrade bitumen into diesel and other higher value hydrocarbon products. Initially, the refinery will convert 50,000 barrels per day of bitumen, supplied by the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission (75%) and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (25%). This refinery will be the first built in Alberta in over 30 years.

“Praxair has been supporting this project for several years and we are pleased to continue our participation as it moves into the construction and operating phases,” said Matt White, president of Praxair Canada. “Our extensive experience in both Alberta and supporting refining operations globally enables us to play an important role in NWR’s ongoing growth.”

"Praxair will be a key partner in the start-up of this new project," said Larry Vadori, senior vice president at NWR. "The high reliability of supply and operational efficiencies that Praxair offers will be critical factors in our continued success.”

About Praxair
Praxair, Inc., (NYSE: PX), is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2012 sales of $11 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency 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, Inc., is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.

About North West Redwater Partnership
The North West Redwater Partnership is a joint venture between North West Upgrading Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources Limited, with each company owning 50% stake in the Partnership. The Partnership targets to build and operate a world class bitumen refinery in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, which will add significant value to the bitumen resources in a responsible and sustainable manner. It's a vision shared by the Alberta Government, which has clearly stated its own goal is to position the province as a global energy leader, an energy technology champion and a solid, global environmental citizen. More information on North West Redwater Partnership is available on the internet https://nwrsturgeonrefinery.com/.