Air Liquide: Middle East: US$200 Million Investments Coming to Fruition

PARIS--(Business Wire)--
Regulatory News:

Middle Eastern countries have double digit rates of GDP growth,
leading to growth in the industrial gas market exceeding +20% per
year. Industrial markets in the zone, such as petrochemicals,
chemicals, metals and food, require increasing quantities of
industrial gases.

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) announces that the development of its
business in the Middle East is accelerating, as investments totaling
around US$200 million are coming to fruition.

Shuaiba Oxygen, Air Liquide's subsidiary in Kuwait (a partnership
with Kuwait Cryo) has supplied since the start of July, the new
petrochemicals plant Equate (co-owned by the group Dow and the Kuwaiti
company Petrochemical Industries Company - P.I.C.) with oxygen,
nitrogen and compressed air. This new air separation unit near Kuwait
City, has production capacity of 1,500 tonnes of oxygen per day.

GASAL, Air Liquide's subsidiary in Qatar (a partnership with Qatar
Petroleum and QIMCO) has just commissioned two new air separation
units. The Mesaieed unit (40 km south of Doha), commissioned last
April, supplies the Qatar Steel Company (QASCO), a leading steel
producer in the Middle-East, with oxygen and nitrogen. This unit also
supplies five other customers in the industrial basin, through GASAL's
pipeline system.

The second air separation unit, commissioned early July in the
industrial basin of Ras Laffan, supplies nitrogen to the Ras Laffan
Olefins Company (RLOC), a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum,
Chevron-Phillips and the Total group.

Air Liquide Egypt has just commissioned a new carbon dioxide
production unit in Aboukir, to serve the food and soft drinks markets,
currently undergoing strong development. This is a new step in the
industrial development of the Group which has been present in Egypt
since 2002, meeting the growing gas needs of industrial customers.

Air Liquide Sohar Industrial Gases (ALSIG), Air Liquide's
subsidiary in the Sultanate of Oman (a partnership with Oman Refinery
Company, Mohsin Haider Darwish and Omzest) will begin supply nitrogen
to AOL (Oman Aromatics) in October 2008. The new air separation unit,
located in the port of Sohar, will double current production capacity
of the Group in the Sultanate of Oman.

The argon production from Shuaiba Oxygen, the acquisition of the
Pure Helium company and the liquid sourcing available from the new
projects provide ALMENA (Air Liquide's Merchant subsidiary in the
region) with rapidly expanding industrial merchant sales in Egypt, the
United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries throughout the
Gulf, in particular to the welding and construction markets.

Pierre Dufour, Senior Executive Vice-President of the Air Liquide
Group, responsible for the Middle East zone, declared: "We are
delighted that so many projects are coming to fruition in the Middle
East, which enable us to be present in most of the markets in this
zone. The Group is keen to meet the growing needs of its customers, in
particular in the main industrial basins. These investments are
carried by the trend for outsourcing industrial gas needs and are in
line with Group growth strategy, which is to invest over one billion
dollars in the Middle East in the coming five years."

Air Liquide in the Middle East

Air Liquide is present in Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates where the Group has
established its headquarters for Middle East region.

With 350 employees in the Middle East, Air Liquide has invested
US$300 million over the 2002-2007 period and will invest a further
US$1 billion in the Persian Gulf region over the next five years.

With more than 40,000 employees in 75 countries, Air Liquide is
the world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services.
The Group offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced
technologies and produces air gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare
gases...) and many other gases including hydrogen. The Group
contributes to the manufacturing of many everyday products: bubbles in
sparkling beverages, protective atmosphere for packed foods, oxygen
for hospitals and homecare patients, ultra-pure gases for the
semiconductor industry, hydrogen to desulfurize fuels...

Air Liquide is committed to sustainable development and helps to
protect life. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has successfully developed
a long-term relationship with its shareholders built on trust and
transparency and guided by the principles of corporate governance.
Since the publication of its first consolidated financial statements
in 1971, Air Liquide has posted strong and steady earnings growth.
Sales in 2007 totaled 11,801 million euros, with sales outside France
accounting for almost 80%. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris stock
exchange and is a component of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices
(ISIN code FR 0000120073).

www.airliquide.com

Corporate Communication
Corinne Estrade-Bordry
+ 33 (0)1 40 62 51 31
or
Investor Relations
Virginia Jeanson
+33 (0)1 40 62 57 37
or
Aude Rodriguez
+33 (0)1 40 62 57 18

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