Air Liquide to Build First World Scale Liquid Hydrogen Production Plant Dedicated to the Supply of Hydrogen Energy Markets
Air Liquide will build the first world scale liquid hydrogen
production unit dedicated to the hydrogen energy markets, located in the
Western U.S., and has signed a long-term agreement with FirstElement
Fuel Inc (FEF), a leader in retail hydrogen infrastructure in the U.S.,
to supply hydrogen to FEF’s retail liquid hydrogen fueling stations in
California. These new commitments will serve the growing needs of the
hydrogen mobility market in California and help enable and complement
the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and support the
hydrogen merchant market across the state.
Air Liquide expects to invest over 150 million US dollars to build a
liquid hydrogen plant in the western United States, with construction to
begin in early 2019. The plant will have a capacity of nearly 30 tons of
hydrogen per day — an amount that can fuel 35,000 Fuel Cell Electric
Vehicles (FCEVs). Through this investment, Air Liquide will enable the
large-scale deployment of hydrogen mobility on the west coast, providing
a reliable supply solution to fuel the 40,000 FCEVs expected to be
deployed in the state of California by 2022. The plant will also support
other fuel cell vehicle and transportation markets in the region, such
as material handling and forklifts and heavy duty trucks.
The new plant is the first large scale investment into the supply chain
infrastructure needed to support hydrogen energy solutions for the
energy transition, starting with transport and mobility. The pace of
FCEV deployment has now reached a level requiring a growing scale of
investment and is paving the way for the growth of zero emission
mobility in other geographies.
In addition to the long-term supply agreement, Air Liquide and FEF have
entered into an agreement outlining Air Liquide’s intent to make an
equity investment in FEF, following previous assistance to the company
by Toyota and Honda. With these agreements, Air Liquide also builds upon
its existing collaborations with Toyota and Honda to further enable a
robust hydrogen fueling infrastructure and, along with others, bolster
the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles and the retail fueling
infrastructure in California.
Michael Graff, Executive Vice President & Executive Committee
Member of L’Air Liquide S.A. and Chairman & CEO of American Air Liquide
Holdings, Inc., said: "This new investment in hydrogen production
and our collaborative relationship with FirstElement Fuel, further
demonstrate our long-term commitment to the development of hydrogen
energy for mobility, and accelerate the deployment of new hydrogen fuel
cell electric vehicles — cars, trucks, buses — planned by automotive
manufacturers like Toyota, Honda and other leading OEMs. We are
convinced that hydrogen is an essential sustainable energy vector of the
future and a cornerstone of the energy transition."
“This signals a transitional moment for the hydrogen automobile
market," said Joel Ewanick, Founder & CEO of
California-based retail hydrogen station company, FirstElement Fuel Inc. "Air
Liquide is bringing significant private investment to build a key piece
for growing California's hydrogen network. It's yet another indication
of the momentum for hydrogen as a replacement for gasoline."
Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, said: “The
commitment to construct a hydrogen plant of this scale by Air Liquide
and supply FirstElement Fuel with hydrogen for its fueling stations in
California is a clear demonstration of the shared vision of global
leaders like Air Liquide, Toyota and the OEM community to innovate,
build and deploy the vehicles and infrastructure to enable clean
mobility of the future.”
Steven Center, Vice President, Connected & Environmental
Business Development Office, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. said: “Honda
welcomes Air Liquide’s significant investment in hydrogen refueling
infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles. Their commitment will broaden the
appeal of fuel cell electric vehicles and speed the adoption of this
promising zero-emission vehicle technology.”
Air Liquide in the U.S.
Air Liquide employs more than 20,000 people in the U.S. in more than
1,300 locations and plant facilities including a world-class R&D center.
The company offers industrial and medical gases, technologies and
related services to a wide range of customers in energy, petrochemical,
industrial, electronics and healthcare markets. www.airliquide.com/USA
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’s hydrogen
investments in the U.S. complements our current biogas investment
strategy and our vision to improve the carbon footprints of our company
and the customers we serve.
The world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and
Health, Air Liquide is present in 80 countries with approximately 65,000
employees and serves more than 3.5 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 lead 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 20.3 billion euros in 2017 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.
www.airliquide.com
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