BOC EDWARDS BEGINS SECOND PHASE OF PIPELINE NETWORK IN TAIWAN'S HSINCHU SCIENCE PARK

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BOC EDWARDS BEGINS SECOND PHASE OF PIPELINE NETWORK IN TAIWAN'S HSINCHU SCIENCE PARK
22 September 2006 - BOC Gases

BOC Edwards, in conjunction with its Taiwan joint venture partner, BOC Lien Hwa, has begun work on the next phase of expansion of its nitrogen production and pipeline distribution network, at a cost of more than US $30 million, in the Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan.

“This pipeline network, which has been an integral part and an enabler of the successful growth of advanced semiconductor manufacturing in Hsinchu since 1988, supplies ultra-high purity nitrogen to more than 20 advanced wafer fabrication facilities within the park,” said Neels Kriek, managing director of materials and services for BOC Edwards. With a currently installed capacity of more than 100,000 Nm3 per hour of nitrogen, and more than 20km of underground pipelines, this system forms the largest high purity gas distribution network in Taiwan.

The capacity of the network has grown steadily over the past 18 years, keeping pace with the rapid development of the Taiwan semiconductor industry and the increasing gas consumption demands of each new generation of wafer fab investment. To ensure that demand can be met in the future, BOC Edwards, in its latest expansion, has begun construction of its largest ever semiconductor grade nitrogen generator, which will add a capacity of 35,000 Nm3 per hour.

“BOC Edwards is proud of the role that we, together with our partner BOCLH, have played in the growth of the Hsinchu Science Park, which has been the foundation of Taiwan’s leading position in the global semiconductor industry today,” said Kriek.

With a total of nine plants currently running in the park and a cross-linked grid of underground pipelines, the system provides unmatched levels of supply security, a critical requirement for semiconductor manufacturers. The addition of this large-capacity tenth plant will further strengthen capability and provide for an uninterrupted and secure gas supply to meet the continuing growth of 300mm wafer fabs in Hsinchu, which continues to be the center of Taiwan’s leading edge semiconductor production and development.

“This investment follows the capacity expansion and start-up in February 2006 of an ultra-high purity liquid nitrogen plant within the Hsinchu Science Park. The addition of a large-capacity liquid nitrogen storage system will ensure that the highest levels of product availability can be maintained at all times,” said Alex Tong, president of BOCLH in Taiwan.

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About: BOC Gases
Through its PGS line of business, BOC supplies gas and related solutions to the chemicals, petroleum, glass, water services, electronic packaging, fibre optics, hydrogen energy, metals and food industries. BOC helps meet customer needs in a variety of ways, from the supply of a single gas or application through to designing, constructing and operating fully integrated gas and utilities schemes.

The BOC Group, which serves two million customers in more than 50 countries, is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies. It employs some 44,500 people worldwide and had annual sales of over £4.3 billion in 2003. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at www.boc.com

The BOC Group has an international portfolio of companies grouped for management control and reporting into three lines of business: Process Gas Solutions, Industrial and Special Products, and BOC Edwards. It also has a specialist logistics business, Gist.

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