Air Liquide Japan (Representative Director & CEO: Shiro Yahara) announce to install off-site type H2 stations in Miyawaka City, Fukuoka Prefecture and Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture for a scheduled start of sales both in March 2017.

“Fukuoka Miyata H2 Station” will be installed on the land leased by Toyota Motor Kyushu in the premises of its Miyata Plant located in Miyawaka City. The station is subsidized by METI and Fukuoka Prefecture.

“Kobe Shichinomiya H2 Station (tentative naming)” will be constructed on the former SS site of Hyogo Port which was owned by Marui Shokai (President: Shigetsugu Marui, headquartered in Osaka City) which runs gas stations. The site area is about 300m2. The selling price of H2 has not yet been decided. The construction is made by Air Liquide Japan and the operation will be done jointly with Marui Shokai and Air Liquide as the main player, who will send its staff stationed for a full-time work. 300 million yen will be granted the company from METI and Kobe City.

In the joint press interview as to “The development of the first commercial H2 station in Kobe City” held in Kobe Municipal Office on November 1, President Yahara said about the station, “The H2 station to be constructed this time in Kobe has a small-sized area for the site. Generally, in the heavily populated major cities there were difficulties to procure a land for construction of the conventional type of H2 station, but with such a compact station as this time I do feel a great significance in respect of how economy can be consistent with safety.”