Air Liquide opens a Hydrogen Station in Tokorozawa Matsugo

On November 1st, Air Liquide Japan Ltd. is opening a station in Tokorozawa Matsugo, Saitama Prefecture, in alignment with an expected growing demand in hydrogen in the area by 2020.

Air Liquide Japan will begin operations at a new hydrogen station for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on November 1st and will commence operations at 11:30 a.m. The hydrogen station is located in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, which is a highly convenient location where multiple trunk roads pass through the area.

The Tokorozawa Matsugo Hydrogen Station has been created as a joint project between Air Liquide Japan and Japan H2 Mobility, LLC (JHyM). It will be the third station jointly operated by these two companies, and their first one in Saitama Prefecture.

It’s also Air Liquide Japan’s first on-site hydrogen station, meaning that hydrogen is both produced and supplied to Fuel Cell Vehicles on-site. This promotes local production for local consumption and helps reduce CO2 emissions. The hydrogen refueling system utilizes Air Liquide Japan’s standard-type package, which has a proven track record, and the inclusion of additional pressure accumulators makes this a high-performance station capable of refueling the large-capacity fuel tanks of fuel cell buses. The Saitama prefecture expects a growing demand in hydrogen from 2020, as part of the Japanese government plan which aims to have 200,000 FCEVs on the roads and 320 HRS by 2025. 

The Air Liquide Tokorozawa Matsugo Hydrogen Station is situated near the Tokorozawa Interchange on the Kan-etsu Expressway, a fairly accessible area for vehicles coming from any direction. Moreover, the station will operate on weekends for improved customer convenience. Moving forward, we hope that local residents and businesses will make use of this new hydrogen station to refuel their FCEVs and buses.

Air Liquide’s commitment to hydrogen energy
In the past 50 years, Air Liquide has developed unique expertise enabling it to master the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production and storage to distribution and the development of applications for end users, thus contributing to the widespread use of hydrogen as a clean energy source, for mobility in particular. Air Liquide has designed and installed more than 120 stations around the world to date. Hydrogen is an alternative to meet the challenge of clean transportation and thus contributes to the improvement of air quality. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to produce electricity, emitting only water. It does not generate any pollution at the point of use: zero greenhouse gases, zero particles and zero noise. Hydrogen provides a concrete response to the challenges posed by sustainable mobility and local pollution in urban areas.

Air Liquide Japan (“ALJ”; headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative President and CEO: Virginie Cavalli)

Air Liquide Japan (“ALJ”) was established in 1907, and has been contributing to the development of Japanese industries for over a decade. With a workforce of 2,000 employees, ALJ supplies nitrogen and oxygen to companies in electronics and other industrial fields and are at the service of our clients in problem solving and joint research. ALJ is also a leader in developing and providing new medical treatment devices and solutions using IoT, and continues to serve health care providers and patients. In addition to supplying gas for use in hospitals, ALJ focuses on the home healthcare field. Air Liquide Group has developed the hydrogen supply chain, and has installed more than 120 hydrogen stations around the world. In addition to building stations in Japan, ALJ’s goal is to become a leading company that encompasses the entire hydrogen energy value chain in Japan. ALJ will continue to  provide innovative solutions with our industry-leading innovations and technologies at its core.

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with approximately 66,000 employees and serves more than 3.6 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the company’s activities since its creation in 1902. 

Air Liquide’s ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability. The company’s customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders. 

Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to 21 billion euros in 2018 and its solutions that protect life and the environment represented more than 40% of sales. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.