International Partnership Executes Agreement With ThyssenKrupp CSA

Business Wire, Feb 15, 2007

DANBURY, Conn. -- An international partnership formed by Praxair, Inc., Air Liquide and ThyssenKrupp Minergy has signed a 20-year agreement to supply industrial gases to ThyssenKrupp CSA Companhia SiderArgica, a joint venture between the German group ThyssenKrupp Steel AG and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce.

ThyssenKrupp CSA plans to construct the first new steel mill to be built in Brazil since 1986 and begin operations in early 2009. It is expected to produce five million metric tons of steel plates each year. It will be located in the district of Santa Cruz on the west side of Rio de Janeiro and will cost approximately $3.5 billion.

An air separation plant will be built for the steel mill consisting of two cryogenic units with the capacity to produce 3,000 tons a day of industrial gases, primarily oxygen. The facility will also supply blast furnace air as well as compressed dry air to the steel complex.

The partnership is comprised of White Martins, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) and the largest industrial gases producer in Brazil; Air Liquide, an international industrial gases company; and ThyssenKrupp Minergy, a subsidiary of the ThyssenKrupp group, which focuses on supply and logistics in the fields of minerals, energy, coke and coal.

"We are proud to be involved in this major project that is so important to the economy of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil," said Domingos Bulus, president of White Martins.

Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2006 sales of $8.3 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases, and high-performance surface coatings. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com