In December Iwatani announced that it was planning to construct hydrogen stations of convenience-store annexed type in tie-up with Seven-Eleven Japan. The two companies signed a non-exclusive agreement on the paralleled installation in October and will newly construct convenience stores provided with hydrogen stations at two locations in Tokyo and Kariya City, Aichi Prefecture by the autumn of 2015.

For the development of hydrogen stations it is quite a difficult issue to procure user-friendly (traffic-laden streets) lands, but there are high expectations placed on collaboration with a major convenience-store chain which has abundant experiences and know-how to procure lands.

Sometime in February 2012 the first approach for a tie-up was made by Seven-Eleven which has experiences in establishing its stores in combination with gasoline stands. The approach to Iwatani was aimed to add hydrogen energy as one of the new service menus provided by Seven-Eleven’s convenience stores.

Convenience stores in principle being open for 24 hours a day throughout the year have a business theme to save electricity and reduce environmental loads. They have so far taken some energy-saving measures like installation of solar panels. Regarding the hydrogen energy, they also are fascinated in its potential to reduce environmental loads of retail stores by means of fuel cells of pure hydrogen type.

Tokyo and Kariya City, both of which have already decided to establish the station, are going to construct it for the first time, and Iwatani will not only select a land but also install and manage a liquid hydrogen type hydrogen station. The station to be constructed will have a full-specification capacity to fill up within three minutes at 70MPa. Seven-Eleven will give advice as to selection of lands and operate their hydrogen station-paralleled convenience stores.

As for Kariya City, Iwatani is going to take advantage of the subsidy granted as Subsidized Project of 2013 for hydrogen stations. Locations of hydrogen stations in Tokyo will be announced upon finishing adjustments. The two companies have an idea to put up 10 to 20 hydrogen stations of such convenience-store annexed type for a period of three years from 2015.