Air Liquide completes the first phase of ultra-high purity low-carbon H2 electrolyzer plants in Taiwan

Air Liquide has completed the first phase of the construction of its planned 25 MW electrolysis hydrogen plants in the Tainan Technology Industrial Park. These plants will provide ultra-high purity hydrogen to the semiconductor industry as well as serve emerging hydrogen energy applications in Taiwan. This project is in line with the Group’s Climate Objectives which include the development of hydrogen applications and ecosystems for the industry and other markets.

Air Liquide, through its majority owned joint-venture Air Liquide Far Eastern (ALFE), has completed the first phase of the construction of the hydrogen electrolyzers it has set to build in the Science Parks of Tainan and Hsinchu in Taiwan. Announced in April 2020, as part of a larger 200 million euro investment, these capacities will be able to produce up to 5,000 Nm³ of ultra-high purity hydrogen per hour. After successfully reaching the Phase 1 commissioning milestone, Air Liquide will continue the construction of its Phase 2 to Phase 5 hydrogen electrolyzer plants in Taiwan over the next 2 years for a total capacity of 25MW.

These production plants will enable Air Liquide to meet the emerging demand for ultra-high purity hydrogen for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) applications and leverage a more environmentally-friendly production process of hydrogen to support the environmental objectives of the major semiconductor industry customers in Taiwan.

Once the whole project is completed and the hydrogen plants are supplied with renewable energy, over 35,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) direct emissions will be saved annually when compared to traditional hydrogen production processes.

This new local and reliable low-carbon hydrogen supply will further reinforce Taiwan’s leading position in the semiconductor industry. Moreover, this new hydrogen production plant - the third operated by Air Liquide in Taiwan - will also allow the promotion of low-carbon hydrogen for fuel cell applications, to support the emergence of hydrogen storage or mobility projects in the region.

François Abrial, Member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee supervising Asia Pacific, said:

“The fight against climate change and for the energy transition will not succeed without a profound transformation of industries and consumption habits. This project is one of many actions we are taking to foster a more sustainable industrial environment. We support our Industrial and Electronics customers by developing solutions that help reduce the CO2 footprint in their manufacturing processes. ”