Air Products will supply Gasunie with three generation plants to produce the nitrogen needed to condition imported natural gas as a substitute for discontinued local sources.
The equipment supplied by Air Products is part of a response to natural gas extraction issues in The Netherlands. The country had previously been sourcing natural gas from its domestic Groningen Field however, seismic activity resulted in a need to switch to imported gas. Adding to complications, the supply of imported natural gas was incompatible with the applications served by the domestic Groningen source.
The plants to be built and supplied by Air Products will provide a compatible solution. Producing the nitrogen required to condition the imported natural gas to the correct specification, making it suitable for widespread use in the country.
The new plants will be located in located in Zuidbroek, near Groninge and will produce a combined 180,000 cubic meters per hour of nitrogen when brought onstream in October 2021.
“We are honoured to be part of the energy solution for The Netherlands. We have had a relationship with Gasuine since the late 1980s at Ommen and are pleased to be called on again to provide technology to meet the country’s industrial gas requirements,” said Dr. Samir J. Serhan, Executive Vice President at Air Products.
“We believe our selection for this very important project results from a combination of our market competitiveness, and the efficiency of design and the reliability of our nitrogen generation plants,” Serhan continued.
Air Products has a vast experience in the natural gas chain supply with its liquified natural gas technology and has been operating in The Netherlands for 50 years.
“The nitrogen facility is of great importance for the reduction of gas production in Groningen. As early as 2022, the production of Groningen gas must be reduced to below the level of 12 billion cubic meters per year. We look forward to working with Air Products and are committed to ensuring that the nitrogen facility can be safely reliably and timely put into operation,” said Erwin Millink, Director Larger Projects at Gasuine.