Air Products to Supply Malaysia's Photovoltaic Market with Turnkey Contract

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Sep 28, 2010, 01:00 ET

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced it has signed a contract with a leading global photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer in Malaysia for the company's SunSource™ Solutions gases, equipment and services. The turnkey gas supply contract includes bulk and specialty gases, specialty chemicals, and related gas distribution equipment to support the customer's new crystalline PV facility in Melaka, Malaysia. This contract further strengthens Air Products' worldwide PV industry supply position with one of the leading producers.

The contract includes the long-term supply of on-site nitrogen, hydrogen, argon and oxygen, specialty gases such as silane, ammonia and nitrogen trifluoride.

The Melaka solar cell manufacturing plant aims to reach a capacity of more than 1 Gigawatt of cells per year by 2012. Listed on the U.S. Nasdaq, the customer designs, manufactures and installs high-efficiency crystalline solar module technology worldwide. The company owns and operates two other PV plants in the Philippines and is headquartered, along with its research and development facility, in San Jose, Calif.

"Air Products is very excited to be the gas supplier of a leader in crystalline photovoltaics which represents the highest efficiency, high volume photovoltaic technology. The Malaysia PV plant will be a core element of the customer's technology and manufacturing roadmap to achieve lower cost and reach the goal of grid parity," said Corning Painter, vice president and general manager, Global Electronics, Air Products. "Air Products is committed to developing alternative energy markets. Our expertise and complete turnkey offerings help our customers around the world reduce cost per watt and achieve a fast ramp-up."

As a leading electronics materials supplier, Air Products is strategically positioned to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding worldwide photovoltaics market. The company's SunSource Solutions are used in all of the different PV technologies by established and start-up producers alike. Air Products' long-standing history serving the semiconductor and thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industries since their inception makes it ideally suited to support its customers' drive to grid parity―the point where electricity generated by PV is equivalent in cost to traditional power company-supplied electricity.

With the demand for renewable energy and improved efficiency on the rise, Air Products is well positioned to support these developing markets with its expertise and project experience in areas including large-scale hydrogen supply for cleaner transportation fuels, developmental work on the hydrogen economy, hydrogen vehicle fuelling and infrastructure, leading natural gas liquefaction technology, and now the growing supply of gases and services for the photovoltaic industry.

For more information on Air Products' photovoltaic offerings, please visit www.airproducts.com/photovoltaics.

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of $8.3 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2009.

SOURCE Air Products