“Iwatani forecasts its LH2 business for the fiscal year ending March 2013 to mark a total number of customers of 65 and volume delivered of 46 million m3, which is up by 10 customers and 11 million m3 from the previous year.

Iwatani’s LH2 business which had steadily grown since Hydro-Edge started operation in 2006 experienced a decline for the first time in the volume of LH2 delivered during last year. It was obviously attributed to the dull situation of the domestic electronic industries.

Due to the reduced production, down-scaled process line or shutdown of plants of semiconductors and liquid crystal panels, there was a substantial declination all at once in the operation rate, leading to the inventory adjustment of the related plants to produce silicon wafers, various facilities for production, quartz glass, lamps and light sources.　A drop also occurred in the demand for liquid hydrogen in response to the situation.

According to the Hydrogen Gas Department of the company, however, this year some customers who have had a long-held idea to introduce LH2 are planning to start consumption with their receiving facilities now under construction.

Yasuhisa Ueda manager of the department said, “The successful development of new customers is so encouraging that we can expect a considerably good LH2 business this year. As for our LH2 business for industrial purposes, we may well need to reconsider balancing with compressed hydrogen gas.”

Furthermore, the company is proceeding to raise the price of LH2 by around 10% from April, for the second time following the price revision in last spring. The price revision is aimed to pass on the cost the increasing prices of various energies including crude oil and natural gas in addition to the nationwide spread of electricity rate-hike trend.

The third LH2 center “Yamaguchi Liquid Hydrogen” which has been put into trial operation since mid-May will start its regular operation after completion ceremony on June 11. The commercial liquid hydrogen to the Kyushu and Shikoku market as well as the rocket propellant to the Tanegashima Space Center will be supplied from this plant.”