SHANGHAI– Air Liquide China’s hydrogen filling center project in Tianjin Binhai New Area held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 2. In 2023, the company signed an agreement with the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone to invest 145 million yuan to build, own and operate a hydrogen filling center to support the development of the hydrogen ecosystem in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The hydrogen filling center receives hydrogen through pipelines, and the gas is compressed and transported by torpedo tube trucks to hydrogen refueling stations or industrial customers. The filling center has a daily hydrogen production capacity of 8 tons and is expected to be put into operation at the end of 2024.
Air Liquide China enjoys a leading position in the industrial gas (including hydrogen) market in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It currently operates two local hydrogen filling centers with a total daily hydrogen production capacity of 4.2 tons, supplying industries such as glass manufacturing, optical fiber, metallurgy and electronics. customer of. The new filling center will utilize low-carbon hydrogen sources to supply compressed hydrogen to refueling stations and industrial customers in the region.
Rendering of Air Liquide Tianjin hydrogen filling center
According to the group’s strategic plan ADVANCE, Air Liquide is committed to reducing the carbon emissions of its own assets while providing customers with solutions to help them reduce their carbon intensity. Hydrogen is an important part of China’s energy and industrial strategy. According to the “Medium and Long-term Plan for the Development of Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035)”, China will launch 50,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2025. As one of the five major fuel cell vehicle demonstration city clusters, Tianjin plans to build at least 10 hydrogen refueling stations and deploy 2,000 fuel cell vehicles by 2025. With this investment, Air Liquide supports China’s decarbonization process and its goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Li Ruihua , CEO of Air Liquide China, said: ” Hydrogen is a key element in accelerating the energy transformation. Air Liquide has 60 years of professional experience in the hydrogen value chain, and we are pleased to cooperate with the Tianjin Municipal Government to lead the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone in the hydrogen value chain. Deployment in the upstream chain. We will make full use of our technical expertise and operational experience to actively cooperate with local governments, energy companies and fleet operators to help achieve cleaner transportation and create a more sustainable future. ”
Air Liquide in China
Air Liquide has more than 120 factories in China and nearly 5,000 employees. Its business covers most coastal areas in China and continues to expand to the central, southern and western regions. The Group’s main business scope in China includes: industrial and medical gas operations, home health services, engineering and manufacturing business (design, manufacturing and installation of air separation units, hydrogen production units, etc.), and innovative business.
Air Liquide commits to develop hydrogen energy
In line with the 2015 Paris Agreement and the urgency of addressing climate change, Air Liquide is committed to becoming carbon neutral across its operations by 2050. As a pioneer in the field of hydrogen, the Group firmly believes that molecular hydrogen plays a vital role in the energy transition. Over the past 60 years, the Group has developed unique expertise in the field of hydrogen, becoming a leader in the production and distribution of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and a world benchmark in liquid hydrogen. The Group is currently initiating, piloting and developing some of the largest projects to decarbonise industry as well as road, air and maritime transport.
Air Liquide has made multiple commitments to accelerate the development of hydrogen energy to achieve the energy transition: the Group plans to invest 8 billion euros in the low-carbon hydrogen value chain by 2035, and the total production capacity of water electrolysis hydrogen production will reach 3 GW by 2030.
Air Liquide is a global leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health, with operations in 72 countries/regions, 67,800 employees and serving more than 4 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are small molecules indispensable for life, matter and energy. They symbolize the scientific frontier of Air Liquide and have always been at the core of the Group’s business since its founding in 1902.
Acting now and preparing for the future are at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. Through ADVANCE, the Group’s strategic plan until 2025, Air Liquide pursues comprehensive performance that combines financial and non-financial performance. The Group’s positioning in new markets is driven by its key assets of resilience, strong business model, innovation capabilities and technological expertise. The Group develops solutions that contribute to the climate and energy transition – especially with respect to hydrogen – and takes action to achieve progress in healthcare, digitalization and high technology.
In 2023, Air Liquide Group’s sales exceeded 27.5 billion euros. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris Market (Class A) and is a member of the French stock index CAC 40 Index, CAC 40 ESG Index, Euro Stoxx 50 Index, FTSE4 Social Responsibility Index and DJSI Europe Index.
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