PRESS RELEASE

Radnor, PA March 6, 2018

Airgas to Build Two Production Facilities in California

• New Liquid Carbon Dioxide Facility in Stockton, California

• Air Separation Unit Expansion in Etiwanda, California

Airgas USA, LLC, an Air Liquide company, today announced plans to increase its presence in California with the construction of a new liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) production facility in Stockton, CA and the expansion of an air separation unit (ASU) in Etiwanda, CA. Once on-stream, the two facilities will significantly increase the company’s merchant gas capabilities in the state.

The new facility in Stockton, CA will produce liquid CO2 and support the manufacturing of dry ice used in a variety of customer applications, from water treatment and food chilling to freezing systems and brewing and winemaking. The plant’s process will use CO2 by-product from Pacific Ethanol’s nearby ethanol production facility. With the additional plant in Stockton, Airgas will have three strategically located CO2 plants in Northern, Central, and Southern California.

The expansion of the existing air separation unit in Etiwanda, CA will increase available supply of industrial gases to customers throughout Southern California. The expansion will produce cryogenic liquid nitrogen and oxygen to support the region’s merchant bulk gas market supplying a range of industries including healthcare, chemical, food and beverage, steel, glass, electronics as well as oil and gas industries.

The ASU expansion will be constructed within the existing facility, an energy-efficient ASU first inaugurated in 2011 by Air Liquide. This ASU benefits from Air Liquide’s innovative, cutting-edge technologies to operate efficiently, enabling Airgas to minimize power consumption and overall production costs.

Following the acquisition of Airgas by Air Liquide in May 2016, Airgas is now the leading U.S. supplier of industrial, specialty, and medical gases. The company’s full range of gas supply modes – from cylinders and dewars to MicroBulk, bulk and on-site – enables customers to optimize production processes with selection of the gas supply mode that most effectively and efficiently meets their needs.

Pascal Vinet, Airgas Chief Executive Officer, commented: “With these two new production facilities in California, we are continuing to bolster our network of Airgas production facilities throughout the region in this important and growing market. The facilities will enhance our gas supply chain output and fortify long-term reliability for our packaged and merchant gas customers throughout the western United States.”

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The world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with approximately 65,000 employees and serves more than 3 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the company’s activities since its creation in 1902.

Air Liquide’s ambition is to lead its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability. The company’s customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.

Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to € 18.1 billion in 2016 and its solutions that protect life and the environment represented more than 40% of sales. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.