The industrial gas market - France

Industrial gases are used in a wide variety of sectors: chemicals (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, CO), food processing (nitrogen and CO2), metallurgy (oxygen, argon) and health (oxygen, nitrous oxide). [Chemistry Info] The global market is booming due to increasing demand for industrial production and urbanization, as well as rising consumer spending on food and transport. In 2023, it is valued at105.08 billion US dollars, and should continue to grow at aCAGR of 7.42% over the period 2023-2030, reaching 173.43 billion US dollars in 2030. This growth is primarily driven by the Asia-Pacific region, which holds a 36. 6% share of the market [Grand View Research] Nevertheless, environmental regulations, safety and the particularly high costs of gas conversion continue to be obstacles to faster growth. [Grand View Research] In France, the market has been slowly declining due to import growth and the country's increasing dependence on foreign gas. However, 2021 and 2022 were years of growth, with salesincreasing by 22% and 34% respectively, reaching 2.71 billion euros in 2022. [Insee] . Soaring energy prices and the consequences of the pandemic should continue to drive growth in the French industrial gases market in the years ahead. In France, as elsewhere in the world, the industrial gases market is dominated by a small number of players, and its structure is that of an oligopoly. The main players in France areAir Liquide, Linde and Air Products. Finally, hydrogen is a gas whose development needs to be monitored, and in which the government and the EU are investing heavily.