French industrial gases producer Air Liquide has started up a new nitrogen gases plant at Tioga, North Dakota, in the U.S. The new facility will increase supply to drilling operations in the oil-rich Bakken reserves.

The new facility has capacity to produce 100 t/d of gas.

"We continue to position ourselves to better support this growing oil and gas region," said Wayne Bohannon, president, Air Liquide Industrial U.S. "The growing demand for nitrogen in this region coupled with the booming oilfield services activity there and in other regions of the U.S., aligns well with our offers and capabilities and our growth and expansion plans to serve this industry," he added.

Air Liquide claims the use of liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the exploration process can displace the use of water by upwards of 50%, lending "significant production and environmental benefits to traditional methods."