The global industrial gas provider Praxair has started to build a liquid oxygen production base in Chongqing, the largest of its kind in China, it announced Tuesday.

Upon its completion in late 2014, the base is expected to provide 5,000 tonnes of liquid oxygen per day to local industrial enterprises, said Zhang Xuetao, vice president of Praxiar (China) Investment, headquartered in Shanghai.

Situated in the Changshou Chemical Park, the production base will be run by a joint venture co-established by Praxair and Chongqing Chemical and Pharmaceutical Holding (Group) Co., with a total investment of CNY 1.1 billion, according to Zhang.

The vice president said Praxair would supply two sets of up-to-date, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly gas separation devices and aims to develop the production base into an industrial model in China.

With plants scattered in more than 30 countries, Praxair specializes in the production and processing of specialty gases and high-performance surface coatings.