BOC India to invest Rs 600 cr in Tata Steel

BOC India, a member of The Linde Group, will be investing Rs 600 crore in setting up an air separation unit (ASU) at Tata Steel’s plant in Jamshedpur.

“Once commissioned in early 2012, this will be the largest ASU in India and one of Linde’s largest in Asia. The total investment for the new ASU, including the acquisition of captive assets, amounts to nearly Rs 600 crore, bringing Linde’s total investment in India over the last three years to approximately Rs 2,000 crore,” said BOC in a statement.

The announcement follows BOC India’s signing of a long-term contract with Tata Steel for the supply of over 4,000 tpd of gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and argon.

The new ASU will cater to Tata Steel’s current expansion will increase the plant’s steel making capacity to 10 million tonnes a year.

As part of the agreement, Linde will also acquire and operate three existing ASUs owned by Tata Steel for the supply of gases to their Jamshedpur Works.