New hydrogen plant being built at Lemont refinery

Lemont, IL — Construction is underway on a new hydrogen production plant at the Citgo refinery in Lemont.

Linde North America, an international gases and engineering company, began startup procedures last week on the new plant, being built in the southwest corner of Citgo’s property, located at 135th Street and New Avenue, according to a release from the company.
Linde has invested more than $100 million to build the plant, which is expected to supply up to 45 million standard cubic feet of hydrogen per day.
The Citgo refinery is currently constructing a new processing unit that will produce ultra-low sulfur diesel to meet new government standards. The process requires hydrogen.
Between February and mid-March, the new plant will undergo a series of tests to prepare for full-time operation. A portion of the hydrogen will be flared, meaning it will be burned off, resulting in a clean-burning flame.
The process is safe, but produces extensive noise for anyone in the area, the company said.
The construction of the new plant has created 200 construction jobs, according to Linde. It will be the company’s second hydrogen plant at the refinery. The first began operating in 2003. Read more.