A refined agreement

Air Products has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil Oil Corporation to build, own and operate an 18 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) hydrogen facility adjacent to the ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery in Illinois.

The Air Products facility, an integrated steam methane reformer and recovery system processing refinery offgas, is expected to be on-stream in May 2006 and supply hydrogen and steam to ExxonMobil's Joliet Refinery under a long-term agreement.

Air Products' hydrogen production facility will assist ExxonMobil's Joliet Refinery to produce lower sulphur transportation fuels. The supply arrangement is one of over 30 that the company has undertaken with worldwide refiners in the past 15 years.

The Joliet hydrogen facility will be the 27th to be built under the global alliance between Air Products and Technip. Technip provides the design and construction for hydrogen generation units while Air Products provides the gas separation technology. The plants are operated and maintained by Air Products under long-term agreements with customers.