Praxair Inc. has signed a long-term contract to supply industrial gases to a new steel mill being built near the Port of Pecém in an international free trade zone in the state of Ceara, located in the northeast region of Brazil. The mill will be operated by Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP).

The company will build, own and operate a 2,400 tons per day cryogenic plant that will produce gaseous and liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon. The plant will enable CSP to produce an expected 3 million tons of steel slabs annually, which will largely be exported for further processing by CSP's Korean partners. The plant is expected to start up in 2016. The new plant will also serve merchant and packaged gas customers in a variety of sectors across the northern and northeastern regions of Brazil, including food and beverage, metal fabrication, healthcare and automotive.