Air Liquide China conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new H₂ filling center in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin. As part of an agreement signed with Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone in 2023, Air Liquide is investing $20.16 MM to build, own and operate the H₂ filling center designed to support the development of H₂ ecosystem in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jingjinji) Region.

A H₂ filling center is a conditioning unit in which gaseous H₂ received by pipeline is compressed to transport it using tube trailer trucks to either H₂ refueling station (HRS) or industrial customers. Air Liquide's new center will have an 8 tpd filling capacity and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.

Air Liquide China enjoys a leading position in the industrial gas market of the Jingjinji region, including H₂ where it already operates two H₂ filling centers with a total capacity of 4.2 tpd to support glass-making, optical fiber, metallurgy and electronics customers. The new filling center will leverage H₂ with low carbon footprint to supply compressed H₂ to HRSs in the region and also to industrial customers.

In line with ADVANCE, the Group's Strategic Plan, Air Liquide is committed to reducing the carbon emission of its own assets and providing its customers with solutions enabling them to reduce their carbon footprint. H₂ is an important part of China's national energy and industrial strategy. In its "Medium and Long-term Plan for the Development of H₂ Energy Industry (2021-2035)", it aims to deploy 50,000 H₂ fuel cell vehicles (HFCV) by 2025. As one of the five fuel cell vehicle demonstration city clusters, Tianjin plans to build at least 10 HRS and deploy 2,000 fuel cell vehicles by 2025. Through its investment, Air Liquide contributes to supporting decarbonization initiatives in China, as part of the country's carbon neutrality goals.

Rui Coelho, CEO of Air Liquide China said, "H₂ is a key vector to accelerate the energy transition. With 60 years of expertise in the H₂ value chain, Air Liquide is pleased to partner with the Tianjin Government to lead the H₂ upstream deployment in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone. We will leverage our technological knowhow and operations experience, and actively cooperate with local authorities, energy players and fleet operators to contribute to decarbonizing mobility and creating a more sustainable future."