Air Water will build a new compressed hydrogen plant in Mobara-City, Chiba Prefecture for planned start of operation in May 2027. The plant is aimed to generate hydrogen by reforming natural gas produced in Chiba Prefecture. 

　

To produce hydrogen Air Water established a joint venture named “Air Water K&O” with Kanto Natural Gas Development Company which is a local natural gas producer and distributer in the prefecture. For Air Water, it will make the third of hydrogen compressing plant in the Kanto Area, with which its hydrogen supply network can be reinforced over the area. 

　

The joint venture Air Water K&O was established on May 2025 with the investment 70% by Air Water Green Design and 30% by Kanto Natural Gas Development. The plant is arranged in the premises of Kanto Natural Gas Development, where they reform their excavated natural gas to produce hydrogen. The investment for the new plant amounts to 2.8 billion yen. 

In the plant, together with Air Water’s VHR (Output capacity:720NM³/h) to produce hydrogen reformed from natural gas the company is also planning to install a CO₂ recovery device having an output capacity of 200NM³/h) and also to rearrange delivery facilities including filling equipment.   

 For the power source to produce hydrogen, it is planned to use the electricity from biomass power plant run by the Air Water Group and also clean power utilizing the electricity from the biomass power plant run by the Air Water Group and also utilize clean electricity or non-fossil certificate, so that a low carbon (CO₂ emission of 3.4kg or less/kg) may be produced.

 Produced hydrogen will be sold by Air Water Green Design and recycled CO₂ will also be sold after making it into dry ice. The group has now two hydrogen compression bases in the Kanto Area of Ai Water Green Design’s Sodegaura Plant and Air Water’s Kajima Plant. The new plant will be the third one, making 11 locations in total.   The group’s overall hydrogen output capacity will increase by 10 to 20% than before. Air Water is confident to say, “We wish to respond to the current applications and growing demand for electronics and future energy demand and contribute to customers’ reduction of CO₂ emission.”