BOC India Limited (BOCI), a member of The Linde Group, announced that it had been awarded a major long term industrial gases supply contract by Tata Steel Limited. Tata Steel is progressing with the first phase of its Greenfield integrated steelworks in Kalinganagar Industrial Complex in Odisha, India, which will come on-stream in 2014.

BOCI will invest INR 5.4 billion (EUR 80 million) to construct two large new air separation plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 tons per day (tpd), to supply gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and argon to meet the production requirements of Tata Steel's new steelworks. BOCI's new air separation plants, which will be commissioned in 2014, will also produce liquid products to meet the growing demand for gases in the merchant market.

Mr S K Menon, Managing Director of BOCI said, "Our new contract with Tata Steel represents a great strategic win for BOCI, given the fast-rising importance of the Kalinganagar industrial complex as a massive steel production hub in India. BOCI also intends to establish an extensive pipeline network through the industrial complex to meet the gases demand of the various steel production units operating there, and our latest agreement with Tata Steel will enable us to make further steps forward in this direction."

Mr Bernd Eulitz, Regional Business Unit Head for Linde's business in South & East Asia said, "We are delighted to be able to support our valued customer Tata Steel in its latest Greenfield integrated steelworks in Kalinganagar. The signing of this contract represents another significant milestone in the excellent and long-standing partnership between our companies, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with Tata Steel as it moves ahead with its growth plans."

Mr H M Nerurkar, Managing Director of Tata Steel said, "We are pleased to be working with BOCI in our new facility in Kalinganagar. Our new 3 million tonnes per year (mtpy) steelworks, which will expand to 12 mtpy in the medium term, will be the first new major Greenfield blast furnace based steelworks built in India in the past 15 years. We look forward to the continued safe and reliable supply of gases and overall support that BOCI lends to our operations."