Norco to 'Harvest the Sky' at plant in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — After three years of construction, Norco, Inc. completed its air separation plant in Moses Lake, and delivered its first tanker load of liquid oxygen on Monday, October 12, 2009.    

This state-of-the-art air separation plant, built on a 6-acre site, is the only plant of its kind in Eastern Washington.

Norco CEO Jim Kissler said, “We ‘harvest the sky,’ by freezing the atmosphere and separating it into oxygen, nitrogen and argon,” These gases are then used to supply over 30,000 of Norco’s customers in the Northwest.

“When you buy your gases from Norco, you’re purchasing a product produced locally by Washington people,” Kissler said.

The facility operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is run by three to five workers producing 150 tons of liquefied nitrogen, 150 tons of liquefied oxygen, and 7 tons of liquefied argon each day. It  also serves as the distribution hub for up to 20 long-haul truck drivers when running at full capacity, Kissler said.

“Moses Lake is a great area for Norco, because of its good access to highways, reliable source of electricity and business community. We’re excited to be here,” said Norco President, Ned Pontious.

The facility is similar to Norco’s existing plant in Nampa, Idaho,

which was constructed in 2002.    

“This plant will be a stimulus for companies that rely on industrial and medical gases in the Northwest, providing liquid product without increasing end-user costs due to the expenses of travel.”  Pontious said.

“Food processing and packaging companies use nitrogen in freezing their products, and steel fabrication companies use argon as a cover gas for welding. Hospitals and medical offices need reliable sources of oxygen, as do home health care patients. Norco’s new air separation plant has the capacity to fill the needs of these industries.” Pontious added.