French gas firm Air Liquide on Tuesday, May 24, commissioned its largest liquid hydrogen facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to the company, the facility, which cost the firm $250 million, will supply the growing demand for hydrogen mobility in California and nearby states and position Nevada as a leader in hydrogen energy production and supply.
The facility began operations in April 2022 after it was piloted last year and opened up job opportunities for some 700 contractors and 25 full-time workers, operating at full capacity. The firm also developed the necessary infrastructure to attract companies to the area, creating more jobs and revenue streams for North Las Vegas city and Nevada.
Air Liquide said its largest liquid hydrogen plant would produce up to 30 tons of liquid hydrogen per day, especially for customers in the clean mobility market on the West Coast, particularly in California.
Although the firm will fully utilize renewable power in its operations, it could also use renewable natural gas to meet California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) to supply hydrogen mobility to California. When fully operational, the facility can produce enough renewable hydrogen to keep 40,000 fuel cell electric vehicles on the road in California.
Increasing Hydrogen Footprint
While demand for the clean mobility market continues to grow, the plant will also sell its hydrogen to other sectors that provide a range of renewable and low carbon options to its customers.
Present at the launch were Air Liquide executives and employees, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, North Las Vegas Mayor John J Lee, Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford, and other local and state leaders. The US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, gave a special recorded welcome message.
The North Las Vegas hydrogen facility will accelerate hydrogen development and contribute to Air Liquide’s target of tripling hydrogen sales to reach €6 billion ($6.5 billion) by 2035.
“Air Liquide has supported the clean mobility market on the west coast since its infancy, and the North Las Vegas facility is a milestone in our decade-long leadership of the US hydrogen market. This facility illustrates our commitment and ability to usher sustainable markets into the future while creating jobs and fostering economic growth in the present.
By providing a reliable supply of hydrogen to California’s mobility market and the region’s industrial customers, we are making a significant transition towards a more sustainable future, one with hydrogen at its core,” said American Air Liquide Holding Inc. Chairman and CEO Michael Graff.
