Backed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Air Products will construct, own and operate the facilities.
Suitable for medium and heavy-duty vehicles, Air Products will supply the hydrogen required for the stations – set to join the already-announced refuelling site in Hürth-Knapsack.
Funding became available via NRW’s hydrogen roadmap, which has set the target of having 11,000 hydrogen fuel cell trucks and 200 hydrogen refuelling stations in the German region by 2030.
“Hydrogen is an important component for climate-neutral heavy goods transport in North Rhine-Westphalia,” explained Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy, and Deputy Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Würst II cabinet.
“In order to be able to rely on emissions-free drives in heavy goods transport in the future, we must create the conditions now. We are creating an important incentive for the expansion of the urgently needed filling station network in North Rhine-Westphalia.”
Air Products will use its experience of over 250 hydrogen fuelling projects in 20 countries to support its German initiative.
Last year (2023), the company revealed plans to build Europe’s “first” commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling station in the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium.