Matheson Tri-Gas, the US operating company of Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation (NSHD), will build, own, and operate a new air separation unit in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Scheduled for completion in 2027, the plant will produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for medical, fabrication, construction, and food processing industries.

Matheson said the new addition will strengthen its presence in the US Sun Belt region, serving Nevada, California, Utah, and Arizona.

According to gasworld Intelligence, Matheson currently operates 42 ASUs across the US. Together, these produce 9,471 tonnes per day of oxygen, 16,850 tonnes per day of nitrogen and 343 tonnes per day of argon.

Matheson’s largest ASU is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and was built in 2019 to supply gases to Lotte Chemical Louisianna LLC.

Hydrogen write downs

Earlier this year, NSHD wrote off $173m following the cancellation of a hydrogen production plant in the US.

While NSHD did not name the project, it is likely to be a proposed hydrogen facility in Mobile, Alabama, planned by its US operating company Matheson Tri-Gas.

The plant was expected to produce over 30 million standard cubic feet per day of hydrogen, using renewable hydrocarbon feedstocks such as bio-naphtha and other bio-off gases, to supply a 75,000 barrel per day renewable diesel refinery operated by Texas-based specialty refiner Vertex Energy.