The Linde Group acquires the remaining 50 percent of shares in the Australian LPG company Elgas

On 2 October 2008, The Linde Group acquired the remaining 50 percent of the shares in the Australian LPG company Elgas, Sydney, at a price of around EUR 126 m. Elgas was established in 1984 as a 50/50 joint venture between BOC Limited, a subsidiary of The Linde Group, and AGL Energy (AGL).

Elgas is the biggest marketer of LPG (Liquefied Propane Gas) in Australia and operates Australia’s largest LPG storage facility in Port Botany, Sydney. The company achieved sales of EUR 255 m in the 2007 financial year and currently employs around 460 people.

The company will be included as a subsidiary in the consolidated financial statements of The Linde Group from 2 October 2008 and will be allocated to the operating segment South Pacific & Africa.

Impacts of the financial market situation on pension obligations

The situation on global financial markets has further deteriorated. Share prices on the most important markets have continued to decline and uncertainty on credit markets still exists. This development has a negative impact on pension plan assets, while increased interest rates lead to decreased pension obligations. Due to the volatility on the financial markets, an estimation of these effects on the group balance sheet is not possible. The group profit and loss statement will not be impacted.

Other

Apart from the events mentioned above, there have been no significant events for The Linde Group between the end of the reporting period on 30 September 2008 and the publication deadline for these condensed Group interim financial statements.

Munich, 3 November 2008

Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle
Chief Executive Officer of Linde AG

Georg Denoke
Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG

Dr Aldo Belloni
Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG

J. Kent Masters
Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG