2022 HIGHLIGHTS
CORPORATE
- Establishment of a new governance at Air Liquide. On June 1, François Jackow became the Group’s Chief Executive Officer, while Benoît Potier remains Chairman of the Board of Directors. François Jackow was also appointed Board Director of Air Liquide by the Group’s shareholders during the General Meeting on May 4.
- Launch of ADVANCE, the new Air Liquide strategic plan for 2025, which places sustainable development at the heart of the Group’s strategy and combines financial and extra‑financial performance.
- Credit rating upgrade by Moody’s for the Air Liquide Group, from “A3” to “A2” for its long‑term rating and from “P2” to “P1” for its short‑term rating. The outlook associated with the ratings is stable.
- Successful launch of a long‑term bond issue for a total of 600 million euros to finance the Group’s long‑term growth.
- Russia divestment: signing of a letter of intent with the local management team to transfer Russian operations to them in the form of an MBO (Management Buy Out) as part of an orderly, viable and responsible transfer of operations (1). The Group’s businesses in Russia are no longer consolidated since September 1, 2022.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- First validation in the industrial gases industry by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) of Air Liquide’s target to reduce scopes 1 & 2 CO₂ emissions by 2035 as qualified and aligned with climate science.
- Attribution of “A‑” rating by the CDP for climate change and water management.
- Inclusion for the first time in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index, an index established by S&P Global that assesses the progress of companies in terms of sustainable development.
DECARBONIZATION OF THE INDUSTRY
- Selection for a financial support by the European Innovation Fund of the Air Liquide and EQIOM project aimed at transforming the EQIOM plant near Dunkirk, France, into one of the first carbon‑neutral cement plants in Europe.
- Memorandum of Understanding with Lhoist to decarbonize their lime production unit located in Réty, in the Hauts‑de‑France region, using Air Liquide’s proprietary Cryocap™ CO₂ capture technology. This project was selected for financial support as part of the European Innovation Fund.
- Selection to be granted financial support by the European Innovation Fund of the Kairos@C project, developed by Air Liquide and BASF, with the objective of developing the world’s largest cross‑border carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain project around the port of Antwerp.
- Fundings awarded by the European Commission for the Antwerp@C CO₂ Export Hub backed by Air Liquide, Fluxys Belgium and the Port of Antwerp‑Bruges to create a CO₂ transport and export infrastructure at the Antwerp port platform.
- Memorandum of Understanding signed with Eni to decarbonize hard‑to‑abate industries in the Mediterranean Basin.
- Agreement signed with Sogestran to develop shipping solutions for carbon management, as part of carbon capture and storage projects.
- Signature with Sasol of two long‑term renewable Power Purchase Agreements with Enel Green Power for a total capacity of 220 MW to supply the Secunda site in South Africa.
- Signature of a long-term renewable energy Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Vattenfall in the Netherlands for offshore wind capacity of around 115 MW, currently under construction.
- Signature of a 10‑year agreement with Shell Energy Europe Limited (SEEL) for the purchase of renewable energy to power industrial and medical gas production operations in the north‑east of Italy.
- Launch by Air Liquide of its biomethane business in China. In the United States, construction of Air Liquide’s largest biomethane production plant in the world.
- The execution of this project remains subject to Russian regulatory approvals.