The BOC Group Mar 09, BOC to build Australian helium plant

Helium to serve customers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia
Sydney, Australia, March 9, 2005 -- BOC (LSE:BOC), one of the world's largest helium suppliers, has announced plans to build a new liquid helium plant in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The new facility will be the first helium plant in Australia and will be one of only 15 operating in the world when it commences production in mid-2007.
The helium produced by the Darwin facility will supply domestic Australian demand as well as export customers located in New Zealand and Asian markets.
Under a long-term contract with Darwin LNG, BOC will extract the helium from the vent stream of the Darwin liquefied natural gas plant. The helium will be purified, liquefied and filled into specialized ISO containers for shipment to market.
Pending the required government and regulatory approvals, construction of BOC’s helium plant, located at Wickham Point and adjacent to Darwin LNG’s facility, will begin in mid-2006. When the helium plant reaches full production, it will have capacity of 150 million cubic feet per year and will supply between 2 and 3 per cent of the world’s helium demand.
“Australia currently imports all of the helium that it requires, primarily from U.S. sources. The helium produced at Darwin will improve our customers’ reliability of supply and enable us to solidify our leading position in the Australian market,” said Graham Smith, managing director, Industrial & Special Products, BOC, South Pacific.
Phil Kornbluth, vice president, helium & rare gases, BOC, said, "The investment in Darwin is another in a series of steps BOC has taken recently to strengthen our global supply position and prepare for the eventual decline of U.S. sources.”
Darwin LNG’s plant, which is expected to produce 3.1 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas a year when it begins operating in early 2006, is now under construction. Darwin LNG’s owners include: ConocoPhillips, ENI, Santos, INPEX, Tokyo Electric and Tokyo Gas.
Helium is used in a variety of medical and industrial applications, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), laser welding, particle accelerators, leak detection and the manufacture of semiconductors, LCD’s and fiber optic cable.BOC operates one of the world’s largest helium refining facilities in Otis, Kansas, and also has access to helium produced from other US sources in Wyoming and Utah as well as from Poland, Russia, and Algeria. BOC will also have access to fifty per cent of the helium produced from a new plant in Qatar that is scheduled to start up later in 2005. From these production facilities, BOC transports the liquid helium to a worldwide network of 48 local distribution facilities. BOC has also developed industry-leading helium recycling capability.
The BOC Group (LSE:BOC), the worldwide industrial gases, vacuum technologies and distribution services company, serves two million customers in more than 50 countries. It employs over 43,000 people and had annual sales of over $8.3 billion in 2004. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at www.boc.com
Contact:Kristina SchurrBOC corporate relations908-771-1510kristina.schurr@boc.com
Lee MeredithBOC corporate relations61 2 8874 4621lee.meredith@boc.com