FTC seeks comments on proposed sale of Linde's hydrogen and syngas plant to Celanese

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has invited public comments on an application from Linde AG and Praxair to divest a Linde AG hydrogen and carbon monoxide (syngas) plant at Clear Lake, Texas, to Celanese. The divestiture is required under the FTC’s 22 October 2018 order, which requires Praxair and Linde to divest certain industrial gases assets to secure approval for their merger. The FTC will decide whether to approve the application after a 30-day public comment period, which expires on 21 December 2018. Linde AG is required to complete all FTC-mandated divestitures by 29 January 2019. These comprise the sale of substantially all of its US bulk industrial gases business to a joint venture of the Messer Group and CVC; the sale of another syngas plant at La Porte, Texas, to LyondellBasell; and the sale of five Linde plants outside the Gulf Coast region, together with a pipeline on the Gulf Coast, to the Nippon Taiyo Sanso US subsidiary, Matheson Tri-Gas. Until the majority of the divestitures are completed, Linde AG and Praxair are obliged to operate their businesses globally as separate and independent companies, and not to coordinate any of their commercial operations.