Air Liquide to build Japan’s first 24/7 hydrogen station in Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture

Air Liquide to build Japan’s first 24/7 hydrogen station in Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture

Air Liquide will invest in and build Japan’s first 24/7 hydrogen refueling station (HRS) in Motomiya City, in the Fukushima Prefecture. Operations for this high-capacity HRS are planned to start in the first half of 2024 for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. This station is the first to be built within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Air Liquide, ITOCHU Corporation and ITOCHU ENEX.

The new Motomiya Interchange station will be the first in Japan to operate 24/7, all year long and will meet the growing demand for hydrogen for both light- and heavy-duty fuel cell commercial vehicles, in addition to buses and passenger cars. At the gate of the Tohoku region, and in the central part of the Chuo-district in the Fukushima Prefecture, the HRS is also ideally located to allow heavy-duty trucks to do day trips to and from Tokyo.

This is the first station to be built in the frame of the partnership between Air Liquide, ITOCHU Corporation and ITOCHU ENEX. Two refueling sets are to be installed on the site, in order to accomodate fleets of commercial vehicles. They will be located next to an existing Itochu ENEX conventional refueling station for trucks, resulting in the creation of a multi-fuel refueling area that will allow fuel cell truck users to also access a full range of services already existing in the area.

It will also be the 14th hydrogen refueling station jointly developed by Air Liquide Japan and Japan Hydrogen Mobility (JHyM), a consortium of 30 companies aimed at accelerating the deployment of hydrogen stations across the country. It received financial support from JHyM, as well as subsidies from both METI and Fukushima Prefecture.

This new station supports Japan's government ambition to have 320 HRS and 200,000 FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) on the roads  by 2025, as well as the Fukushima Prefecture’s strategy to advance towards a hydrogen society for everyday life and industry. Air Liquide Japan will leverage support from the “Subsidization Scheme to Promote Hydrogen Stations for Dissemination of FCV’s” of the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and the “Subsidization Scheme to Promote Hydrogen Stations” of Fukushima Prefecture to build the new station.

Virginie Cavalli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide Japan, stated: “We are pleased to take this new significant step to provide a stable supply of hydrogen to meet the demand for the fuel cell trucks that will be deployed in the Fukushima Prefecture by Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT). The project illustrates the collaboration with stakeholders and partners, ITOCHU Corporation and ITOCHU ENEX, and Air Liquide Group’s technical capability in hydrogen mobility, as well as our willingness to be part of developing a sustainable society in Japan.”

CONTACTS

Air Liquide Japan Communications

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About Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT)

The Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) was established in 2021 to accelerate the speed of social implementation and spread of new areas called "CASE" including Connected, Autonomous/Automated, Shared, and Electric, and to contribute to solving issues in the transportation industry and creating a carbon-neutral society. Currently, CJPT is comprised of four companies: Toyota Motor Corporation, Isuzu Motors Limited., Suzuki Motor Corporation, and Daihatsu Motor Co.,Ltd.