Air Liquide opens Kawasaki Hydrogen Station
Air Liquide has completed construction of its Kawasaki Hydrogen Station in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, Japan, and began commercial operations on March 30.
The station, subsidized by METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan), as well as municipal government of Kanagawa Prefecture, is the 6th hydrogen station directly owned and operated by Air Liquide in Japan. Earlier stations include two located in Aichi, through a joint venture with Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and one each in Saga, Fukuoka, and Hyogo. Nationwide, Japan is now home to about 100 stations. Kawasaki Hydrogen Station is the 13th in Kanagawa Prefecture, and the first public ‘fixed location’ station built in Kawasaki City.
Earlier this month, Air Liquide and 10 large Japanese companies focused on sustainable mobility joined forces to establish the “Japan H2 Mobility” consortium, which aims to contribute to the stated ambitions of the Japanese government regarding the development of a large-scale hydrogen infrastructure. The government has announced a strategic plan to build a network of 320 stations nationwide by 2025, and 900 by 2030. Air Liquide expects to have built 20 stations in Japan by the fiscal year 2021, through the consortium.
The Kawasaki Hydrogen Station is located adjacent to one of Air Liquide Japan’s production sites, Kawasaki Oxyton. The station’s main components -- including a compressor, storage tanks, and precooler -- are neatly organized into one package to reduce construction time and costs.
Hydrogen is an alternative fuel solution addressing the challenge of clean transportation and thus contributing to the improvement in air quality. Used in a fuel cell, hydrogen combines with oxygen in air to produce electricity, producing water as the only by-product. With more than 50 years of proven expertise in this domain, Air Liquide masters the entire hydrogen supply chain, from production and storage to distribution and the development of applications for end users. To date, the Group has designed and installed 100 hydrogen stations around the world.
Shiro Yahara, President and CEO, Air Liquide Japan, commented, “The ongoing transition of energy and the environment is a global mega-trend that the Air Liquide Group contributes to with pride. Hydrogen energy is one of our proven solutions. In Japan, public and private initiatives to develop hydrogen mobility are well underway, and we are glad to take a leading role, providing both innovation and investments. I would like to express my appreciation to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kanagawa Prefecture, Kawasaki City, and to relevant local social groups for their support. We will strive to develop this new station as an important base for hydrogen mobility, leveraging its advantageous location between Tokyo and Kanagawa.”
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