Air Products and NSPE Team Up to Commercialize Their First Hydrogen Fueling Station in Japan

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) and NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN Pipeline & Engineering Co. Ltd. (NSPE) have successfully constructed and placed onstream their first retail hydrogen fueling station in Tokyo, Japan.  JX Nippon Oil & Energy, one of Japan's largest developers of hydrogen fueling stations, contracted with NSPE to supply the station.  Air Products and NSPE signed an agreement in February 2014 to work together on Japan's developing hydrogen fueling infrastructure market. Under this exclusive arrangement, the parties are currently constructing another station in Hokkaido, Japan, which will be onstream in September 2016.

"We were honored to work with NSPE and achieve success in constructing and delivering the station to meet the growing demand for fueling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in Japan.  The station, completed on-schedule, passed all of its standard testing the first time through and is fueling vehicles regularly. We are pleased to continue collaborating with NSPE in the Japan market, where many more hydrogen fueling stations are already planned," said Ed Kiczek, global business director – Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products. 

Kiczek added that Air Products has operated in Japan since 1970, and works through its established wholly-owned subsidiary, Air Products Japan, on hydrogen fueling opportunities.

"The station is the first under the collaboration between NSPE and Air Products. In Japan, where the FCV commercial market was the first to be developed in the world, NSPE, as an engineering company delivering pipeline, LNG and other energy infrastructure, will continue to supply safe, reliable hydrogen for fueling together with Air Products," said Hideki Imai, director of Plant Division at NSPE.

The Tokyo location is the first station in Air Products' and NSPE's collaborative effort. The Tokyo location uses Air Products' SmartFuel^® hydrogen fueling station technology and fueling protocol license.  Air Products also provided infrastructure engineering and design, while NSPE provided engineering, construction, and adapted the technology for the Japanese market. 

Air Products' SmartFuel^® hydrogen fueling stations provide hydrogen fueling at 70 Mpa (10,000 psi) according to JPEC (Japan Petroleum Energy Center) S0003, and is also SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J2601 fueling protocol capable, using Air Products' patented technology. Air Products has available several SmartFuel^® fueling stations incorporating modular and expandable technology, and holds an entire portfolio of global patents, with additional patents pending related to "compressionless hydrogen fueling station" advancements.

Use of the company's fueling technology is increasing and is already used in conducting approximately 1,000,000 hydrogen fills per year. The company has been involved in over 200 hydrogen fueling projects in the United States and 20 countries worldwide. Cars, trucks, vans, buses, scooters, forklifts, locomotives, planes, cell towers, material handling equipment, and even submarines have been fueled with market-leading Air Products' technologies. Details on Air Products' hydrogen fueling station technologies can be viewed at www.airproducts.com/h2energy.

Air Products has more than 60 years of hydrogen experience and an extensive patent portfolio in hydrogen dispensing technology. Air Products provides liquid and gaseous hydrogen and a variety of enabling devices and protocols for fuel dispensing at varied pressures. Hydrogen for these stations can be delivered to a site via truck or pipeline, produced by natural gas reformation, biomass conversion, or by electrolysis, including electrolysis driven by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. 

About Air Products 

Air Products (NYSE:APD) is a world-leading Industrial Gases company celebrating 75 years of operation. The company's core Industrial Gases business provides atmospheric and process gases and related equipment to manufacturing markets, including refining and petrochemical, metals, electronics, and food and beverage. Air Products is also the world's leading supplier of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment. The company's Materials Technologies business serves the semiconductor, polyurethanes, cleaning and coatings, and adhesives industries. 

The company had fiscal 2015 sales of $9.9 billion and was ranked number 284 on the Fortune 500 annual list of public companies. Approximately 20,000 employees in 50 countries strive to make Air Products the world's safest and best performing Industrial Gases company, providing sustainable offerings and excellent service to all customers. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

About NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN Pipeline & Engineering Co. Ltd. (NSPE)

NSPE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN ENGINEERING CO., LTD., which is a segment company of NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION (NSSMC), has been engaged in the engineering business for energy related plants such as various types of pipelines, natural gas and LNG. NSSMC Group has an experience in the construction of hydrogen stations for the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan. NSPE has been involved in the construction of the major natural gas transmission pipelines in Japan for over 50 years, and also, provided plants such as LNG shipping and receiving facilities. For more information, visit http://www.nspe.nssmc.com.

NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release regarding important risk factors. Actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors not anticipated by management, including risk factors described in the Company's Form 10K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.

SOURCE Air Products

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