Area Development
Praxair, Inc. will invest $38.7 million to further expand and modernize its Praxair Technology Center located in the town of Tonawanda, New York. The expansion will result in 1,111 direct full-time jobs remaining in the town, as well as the creation of more than 22 new jobs.

Praxair is one of the largest employers in Tonawanda where the company’s facility is responsible for global plant engineering, research and development, North American operations communications, global plant monitoring, customer demand monitoring, and fleet dispatch and back office support functions.

Empire State Development “partnered with Praxair to offer an incentive package that will help it expand and modernize its technical, research and development functions in New York State,” said Empire State Development President/CEO/Commissioner Kenneth Adams. “Praxair’s expansion ensures a long-term commitment to the region and to the more than a thousand employees in the Western New York community who work at the facility.”

To ensure the continued success of the Tonawanda facility and its role in helping drive strong operational and financial performance of Praxair and its customers, the company will complete a comprehensive facility upgrade. The renovations will enable Praxair to continue to develop cutting-edge technological advancements in the industrial gases industry, while also maintaining and even growing the workforce in Tonawanda.

New York State is offering Praxair a comprehensive incentive package that will help secure the long-term future of the company in Western New York. To encourage Praxair to proceed with its expansion in Tonawanda, Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, will provide up to $8 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits and a $2 million capital grant, both which are tied directly to the company’s job creation and investment commitments. The Western New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board recommended a $500,000 grant from the New York Power Authority, which is contingent on NYPA trustee approval at its meeting later this month.