Air Liquide announces the installation of the first high-pressure hydrogen refuelling station in Europe, with the capacity to serve the first fleet of long-haul hydrogen trucks. This investment reflects the Group’s strategy to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen energy through large-scale projects, particularly in the heavy vehicle segment.
Located at Air Liquide’s Fos-sur-Mer site, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region in France, this large capacity hydrogen station engineered by Air Liquide [700 bar, 1,000 kg/day] It will enable up to 20 long-haul trucks to be refuelled daily with low-carbon hydrogen for a range of up to 800 km. In addition to Air Liquide’s investment, the station will be built with funding from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and Europe FCH JU ( Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking).
The station will be built in the framework of the HyAMMED project, which is part of H2Haul (Hydrogen fuel cell trucks for heavy-duty, zero-emission logistics). The H2Haul project brings together industrial actors, carriers, and large retailers such as Carrefour, Coca-Cola European Partners and Monoprix to facilitate the transition to clean and sustainable solutions in the transportation of goods. The project will contribute to reducing CO 2 emissions by more than 1,500 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of more than 2 million kilometres travelled by truck.
The station will be commissioned early 2022 and will primarily serve the first European fleet of eight 44-tonnes low-carbon hydrogen trucks designed explicitly within the project. Air Liquide will operate one of these trucks for its packaged gas delivery activities in the Fos-sur-Mer area. The station is also intended for the refuelling of buses and other commercial vehicles.
François Jackow, Executive Vice President, and a member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee said: Hydrogen is an alternative to meet the challenge of clean transportation and thus contribute to improving air quality. As such, hydrogen energy has the potential to transform Europe’s energy landscape. This project demonstrates Air Liquide’s commitment as part of its Climate objectives to work with customers and public and private partners toward a sustainable industry and the development of a low-carbon society.”
Source: Air Liquide. Press release here.