The Linde Group and Samsung Engineering win 1 billion euro contract to build ethylene plant in India

Munich - The technology group The Linde Group and its consortium partner Samsung Engineering, Korea, have been awarded the contract to build a turnkey ethylene plant in Dahej, India. The plant has been commissioned by the Indian company OPAL, a subsidiary of the state-owned ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd). The contract is worth around 1.030 billion euro in total, of which Linde’s share is 350 million euro. The plant will be the largest of its kind in India and one of the largest ethylene plants in the world.

"This prestigious award is the confirmation of the many strengths of our Engineering Division in the international plant construction business", explained Dr Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. "We are a market leader in steam cracker technology and are experienced in the robust execution of projects. We also have a global market coverage and a sound financial basis. India is one of the most promising markets of the future for both engineering services and industrial gases, with many significant synergies between the two. The very successful collaboration with Samsung Engineering from South Korea is now approaching its third decade and has generated business for us in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and now India"

The plant is part of a new petrochemical complex being built in the Indian state of Gujarat and it will produce 1.1 million tons of ethylene, 400,000 tons of propylene, 150,000 tons of benzene and 115,000 tons of butadiene per annum. These products are used as source materials in the plastics industry.

Linde is the consortium leader on this project, responsible for the steam cracker technology, the basic engineering and the supply of critical components. Samsung Engineering is responsible for the detail engineering, the supply of the remaining components, and the construction and assembly of the plant.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with more than 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2007 financial year, it achieved sales of 12.3 billion euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group web site at http://www.linde.com