- Chinese ministry plans further development of the hydrogen infrastructure in Shanghai

Munich Germany--The Chinese government today officially opened the first hydrogen service station in Shanghai. The Shanghai Anting Hydrogen Refuelling Station was built by the technology group The Linde Group, the Chinese elite Tongji University and Shell Hydrogen. The station is part of the Ministry of Science and Technology's 'National 863' program, commissioned to commercialize fuel cell vehicles in China.

Director of Institute of Hydrogen Technologies of Tongji University, Professor Ma, Jianxin, says "We are pleased to have Linde as a partner of Tongji University for this pioneering project in Shanghai. The high-pressure public hydrogen refueling station has been built with the latest technological advances. The opening of this station is a huge step towards establishing a hydrogen infrastructure in China, and signals the country's dedication towards developing environmentally-friendly fuels."

"Linde is excited about participating in the build-up of the hydrogen infrastructure in China. This is a great opportunity for us to leverage our know-how in the hydrogen technology industry to contribute in environmental protection research and initiatives," explains Linde RBU Head of Greater China, Steven Fang. "As the leading gases and engineering company in China, we are enthusiastic about supporting the ambitious plans of Shanghai."

The state-of-the-art Shanghai Anting Hydrogen Refueling Station was realised under the direction of Tongji University. Linde provided the engineering design, advised on the logistics for the delivery of the packaged hydrogen compression, storage facility and hydrogen dispensing system; and also trucked in compressed gas hydrogen for the new station.

The refueling station is located in Anting New Town, near the Shanghai International Auto City. It has the capacity to fuel three fuel cell buses with 45 kg of hydrogen each and 20 fuel cell automobiles with up to 3 kg of hydrogen each.

As a leading provider of technical gases and the world's largest manufacturer of hydrogen production plants, Linde covers the entire hydrogen value chain - from production to delivery. The company has been a driving force in the development of hydrogen technology for years, focusing in particular on building an infrastructure for the automotive segment. Linde is the leading supplier to hydrogen refuelling stations across the globe, and contributes to all major international infrastructure projects. For example, in May 2006, the company presented the "traiLH2(TM)" project, which is a mobile service unit that has the capability to fuel vehicles with both liquid and gaseous hydrogen.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 50,000 employees working in more than 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group plc, the company has sales of around 12 billion euro per annum. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. For more information, please see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com