Air Liquide completed the Incheon International Airport hydrogen station for buses and starts its long term hydrogen supply
- Asia
- Mobility
- Clean mobility
On July 29, 2021, the completion ceremony for the 'Incheon Airport T2 Hydrogen Refueling Station' —jointly invested by Air Liquide, Hyundai Motor Company, and Hydrogen Energy Network (aka ‘HyNet’), equipped with Air Liquide technology— was held online.
During this ceremony, held online for sanitary reasons, the Ministry of Environment highlighted that this event was a key milestone as it commemorated the commissioning of the 100th hydrogen refueling station across 68 sites in the country.
For the Airport T2 Hydrogen refueling station, Air Liquide supplied the high-capacity hydrogen refueling station equipment. The Group will also be the hydrogen molecule supplier under a long-term contract. Hyundai Motor will provide new hydrogen buses along with after-sales services. HyNet will operate the station which will primarily serve hydrogen buses but will also be used for fuel cell passenger cars, in line with the government plan to considerably densify the network of hydrogen stations in the country.
With a capacity of delivering 1 tonne of hydrogen per day, this station is at least 4 times larger than the existing hydrogen stations on the Korean market today. On average, it is able to serve 40 buses or 180 passenger cars per day. Leveraging on Air Liquide’s most recent technology, it will allow two buses to fill simultaneously as well as passenger cars consecutively with limited waiting time for efficient peak time management.
The introduction of the hydrogen station is in line with the strategy of Incheon International Airport Corporation, which strives to become the Northeast Asia air logistics hub, and promotes itself as an eco-friendly international airport. As such, Incheon International Airport Corporation will also gradually upgrade its current fleet of shuttle buses with hydrogen buses.
Guillaume Cottet, President of Air Liquide Korea, said:
"We are proud to be part of this key project to support the development of Korea's hydrogen economy. In line with Air Liquide's global Sustainable Development Objectives, we are committed to continue to invest into and develop hydrogen technology and solutions that can contribute to a more sustainable future."
Air Liquide has been present in South Korea since 1996, and employs today more than 400 persons. On top of providing industrial gases and related services to major industries (petrochemical, steel, semiconductors, car manufacturing, etc.), it also has a strong presence in Home Healthcare activities as well as hydrogen refueling and industrial equipment supply. It is also one of the founders and key contributors to the development of the hydrogen economy in Korea, as shown by its participation in HyNet, a special purpose company created in 2019 to install 100 hydrogen refueling stations by 2022 and in KOHYGEN (Korea Hydrogen Green Energy Network), a special-purpose company established to build and operate heavy-duty hydrogen refueling stations for accelerating heavy-duty vehicle deployment.
In full support of the 2015 Paris agreement, Air Liquide’s commitments address the urgency of climate change and energy transition, targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. As a pioneer in hydrogen, the Group is convinced that hydrogen is a cornerstone of the energy transition. In the past 50 years, the Group has developed unique expertise enabling it to master the entire supply chain, from production and storage to distribution, contributing to the widespread use of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier for a wide range of applications such as industrial usages and clean mobility. Air Liquide is committed to reaching several goals, investing approximately 8 billion Euro in the low-carbon hydrogen full value chain by 2035, and a total of 3 GW electrolysis capacity by 2030.