Industrial and specialised gas producer Air Products has started to clear the site for its new R300-million air separation unit (ASU) in Zone 3 of the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), in the Eastern Cape.

The site is being cleared in preparation for the construction phase.

Air Products has designed and will construct the high-efficiency, reliable plant that will produce liquid oxygen and nitrogen. The company will also install strategic product-storage facilities for important customers in the Eastern Cape.

“The commissioning of the plant is scheduled for the third quarter of next year and the first phase will bring stability to the local gas sector. The investment makes business sense, given the industrial growth in the Eastern Cape, says Air Products MD Mike Hellyar.

The new ASU is sized to cater for market expansion and demand and is the first of its kind in the province. It will also increase economic development opportunities in the region.

The locality of the new ASU will reduce the company’s carbon emissions as a result of fewer trucks regularly transporting the gases from Gauteng to the Eastern Cape.

The company selected the Coega IDZ after careful market analysis. The investment will impact on the value chain in many industries, including the automotive, pharmaceuticals, agroprocessing and manu-facturing industries, and ensure that jobs along the value chain are protected.

The investment is an enabler for further investment in the Coega IDZ and in the province, as it will service the gas needs of the broader Eastern Cape through the manufacture, supply and distribution of a diverse portfolio of atmospheric and speciality gases, equipment and other services.

“The focus is on bringing technology and innovation to the region and using it to maximise customer service.

“Traditionally, gas is supplied either in a liquid or in gaseous form. Air Products will now include a differentiated offering to that which is conventionally available in the market by adding variable pressure and volume tanks to its services, which will enable more efficient engineering and delivery and offer lower costs to customers,” explains Hellyar.