MOSCOW (MRC) -- French industrial gases major Air Liquide is partnering with investment firm Rothschild and the Solar Impulse Foundation to launch a EUR200m clean energy technology buy-out and investment fund, said Gasworld.
The investment platform will bolster Air Liquide’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050 and allow the partners to focus on companies which demonstrate a positive impact on the environment and society across Europe. Sectors targeted will include clean energy, sustainable food and agriculture, circular economy, clean water and sanitation, smart cities, sustainable mobility, and industrial innovation.
About the development, Benoit Potier, Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide, said, “Sustainable development is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. With this initiative, led through ALIAD (Air Liquide Venture Capital), its venture capital arm, Air Liquide aims to foster the development of technologies in line with its global ambition to ACT for a sustainable future."
“We are delighted to be able to contribute with Air Liquide’s expertise to the emergence of innovative companies in the impact field, alongside Rothschild & Co and the Solar Impulse Foundation, of whom we have been a long-standing partner."
With the need for a cleaner future building momentum over the past few years, Air Liquide has recently announced its new ESG objectives to ACT for a sustainable future and consider this initiative vital to accelerating Energy Transition. Of the partnership, Alexandre de Rothschild, Executive Chairman of Rothschild & Co, said, “We are delighted to partner with Air Liquide and Solar Impulse Foundation in this initiative."
Since 2013 with the first successful round-the-world solar-powered flight, Air Liquide has been partnering with the Solar Impulse Foundation. Bertrand Piccard, Founder and Initiator of the Solar Impulse Foundation, said, “We’ve proven that over 1000 profitable solutions exist to protect the environment."
"Now we need to show that investing in new and clean technologies makes both economic and ecological sense." Since its inception in 2013, ALIAD has invested in more than 35 companies for a total capital committed of nearly EUR100m.
As per MRC, Air Liquide, one of the world's leading industrial gas companies, has three long-term gas supply contracts with BASF in Antwerp, Belgium. The company has signed a new 15-year agreement to resume air gas supplies to existing plants operated by BASF in the area, as well as to a new ethylene oxide plant being built by BASF.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 576,270 tonnes in the first three month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 410,890 tonnes in January-March 2021, up by 56% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased.
MRC