The Linde Group and Samsung Engineering win 1 billion euro contract to build ethylene plant in India

Munich, 29 December 2008 - The technology group The Linde Group and
its consortium partner Samsung Engineering, Korea, have been awarded
the contract to build a turnkey ethylene plant in Dahej, India. The
plant has been commissioned by the Indian company OPAL, a subsidiary
of the state-owned ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd). The
contract is worth around 1.030 billion euro in total, of which
Linde's share is 350 million euro. The plant will be the largest of
its kind in India and one of the largest ethylene plants in the
world.

"This prestigious award is the confirmation of the many strengths of
our Engineering Division in the international plant construction
business", explained Dr Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board
of Linde AG. "We are a market leader in steam cracker technology and
are experienced in the robust execution of projects. We also have a
global market coverage and a sound financial basis. India is one of
the most promising markets of the future for both engineering
services and industrial gases, with many significant synergies
between the two. The very successful collaboration with Samsung
Engineering from South Korea is now approaching its third decade and
has generated business for us in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi
Arabia and now India."

The plant is part of a new petrochemical complex being built in the
Indian state of Gujarat and it will produce 1.1 million tons of
ethylene, 400,000 tons of propylene, 150,000 tons of benzene and
115,000 tons of butadiene per annum. These products are used as
source materials in the plastics industry.

Linde is the consortium leader on this project, responsible for the
steam cracker technology, the basic engineering and the supply of
critical components. Samsung Engineering is responsible for the
detail engineering, the supply of the remaining components, and the
construction and assembly of the plant.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with
more than 50,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide.
In the 2007 financial year, it achieved sales of 12.3 billion euro.
The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable
earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its
international business with forward-looking products and services.
Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners,
employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business
areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to
technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and
sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group web site at
http://www.linde.com

Further information:

Press Investor Relations
Uwe Wolfinger Thomas Eisenlohr
Telephone: +49.89.35757-1320 Telephone: +49.89.35757-1330

This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is
solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Copyright © Hugin AS 2008. All rights reserved.