Strategic step forward for the two petrochemical sites in Tarragona thanks to the new air separation plant of the German multinational Messer in Vila-seca (Tarragonès). With the new center inaugurated yesterday, after an investment of 60 million, the most important chemical cluster in southern Europe is guaranteed the supply of three key gases.
Nitrogen is a strategic raw material because it allows the inertization of processes in the chemical industry. Oxygen, in addition to being strategic, is vital, as was demonstrated in the pandemic. Argon will also be produced, of great value for industrial assemblies.
The new plant, dubbed Ona 5 (Oxygen, nitrogen and argon), began to be built shortly before the start of the pandemic, with great obstacles due to the restrictions. “It has cost a lot, but it will be a European reference”, said Rubén Folgado from Tarragona, director general of Messer Ibérica.
“There are three elements, oxygen, nitrogen and argon, which are in the air, so it is a net investment, they will be green products. Having oxygen is essential not only for industry, but also for hospitals”, emphasizes Ignasi Cañagueral, president of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT). “It will be a catalyst for other investments.”
The daily production of the plant, 100% electrified and without polluting emissions, is 2,600 tons (Tn) of oxygen, nitrogen and argon. Other sectors such as food, research or automotive also need these three gases.
The investment makes Messer the largest producer of distilled gases from the air in Catalonia (4,500 Tn). It is also key to taking the first step towards decarbonisation. The production of circular hydrogen will need the oxygen of a plant like Messer’s new one, with the latest technology. The start-up of the factory, with an imposing tower 72 meters high, means the creation of 20 direct jobs and 50 more indirect ones. It is the fifth plant for the production of gases distilled from the air of the German company in the chemical cluster of Tarragona.
The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, applauded the investment for everything it will mean for the reindustrialization of Catalonia. “It reinforces future investments in the petrochemical complex of Tarragona, helps to create quality jobs and is in line with the future of one of the country’s main industries, with our sustainable development goals and those of the United Nations.”
