Linde paves the way for future hydrogen technology - innovative hydrogen center opened in Lohhof near Munich

# Inaugurated by the Federal Minister of Transport, Mr. Tiefensee
# Hydrogen filling station, test and training center housed in one complex
# Amount invested: 3 million euro
# Focus on producing hydrogen from renewable energies

Wiesbaden/Munich, 9 October 2006 - The Linde Group today officially inaugurated the "Linde Hydrogen Center" in Lohhof near Munich in the presence of the German Federal Minister of Transport, Wolfgang Tiefensee. The usage concept of the center is unique, combining the functions of a hydrogen filling station with those of a technology test center, a training center and a presentation platform. A total of 3 million euro was invested in the state-of-the-art hydrogen center.

"Our new hydrogen center not only demonstrates our willingness to invest in especially promising future technologies", explained Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, President and CEO of Linde AG. "But most importantly, it is a further step on the long, but rewarding path towards hydrogen-based sustainable mobility"

The heart of the facility is a filling station, which supplies a test fleet of hydrogen fuelled cars and buses with both liquid hydrogen (LH2) and compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2). We expect to be filling on average of around 10 hydrogen vehicles a day - making the Linde Hydrogen Center one of the busiest hydrogen filling stations in the world. The center’s innovative measuring and control equipment also provided Linde’s engineers, customers and partners with valuable insights for further research and development. Furthermore, the "Linde Hydrogen Center" is also used as a training facility and meeting center.

For years Linde has been a forerunner in the development of environmentally-friendly hydrogen technology. The company has at its disposal all the technology required for a functioning hydrogen value chain, from hydrogen production to fuelling. With the aim of demonstrating the everyday usability of hydrogen as a fuel, Linde is involved in a large number of initiatives, such as ARGEMUC (Airport Munich), CEP (Clean Energy Partnership), CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) and Zero Regio. Linde also plays a leading role as a system supplier for mobile filling systems: as recently as May 2006, the company presented the "traiLH2(TM)", a mobile hydrogen refuelling unit, which allows vehicles to be refuelled with liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen, and which can be operated independently from an external electric power supply.

Through the acquisition of the British gas company The BOC Group plc, Linde has further consolidated its expertise in the hydrogen sector. BOC provides the Linde Group with a further 100 hydrogen plants worldwide and has been involved for years in a number of international research and development projects in the field of hydrogen technology.

The use of hydrogen as a fuel in engines and other applications areas produces no harmful emissions at all. Moreover hydrogen can be produced from a variety of renewable resources. Renewable production, especially biohydrogen, is the focus of the research and development activities of Linde. "In cooperation with specialists in the field, we are advancing the development of several methods for biomass conversion into hydrogen", says Dr Aldo Belloni, member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. "We are confident that soon all the hydrogen required by the Linde Hydrogen Center can be produced by sustainable production methods"


The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering company with more than 53,000 employees working in around 70 countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group the company has gases and engineering sales of approximately 12 billion euro. 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

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