Subsidy Scrapped For Hydrogen Station Construction
A government survey has found that more than 80 percent of facilities that received subsidies to build hydrogen filling stations across Japan were actually ineligible for them.
The subsidies were being offered as part of a project by the Environment Ministry for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The organizers of the Games have been promoting a carbon-neutral "hydrogen society," hoping to make it an Olympic legacy.
In order to receive subsidies, entities setting up hydrogen filling stations for vehicles running on fuel cells were required to produce hydrogen using renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind power.
But a survey by the Board of Audit revealed that more than 80 percent of 20 hydrogen filling stations that began operating by 2017 were using electricity from sources other than renewable energy.
The Environment Ministry has decided to scrap the project. An official told NHK that the system should have been planned more carefully. The official said hydrogen stations require advanced technology and there were differences between regions in the amount of energy each could generate.
The official added that the accumulated data and knowhow will be applied to future hydrogen-related projects.
