Air Liquide Canada supplies hydrogen to Walmart's forklift fleet.

Air Liquide has announced that it will supply the hydrogen, filling station and infrastructure to power Walmart's fleet of fuel cell forklifts at its new Alberta distribution centre.

Fuel cell forklifts are the fastest-growing segment of the hydrogen energy market and the Walmart fleet is the largest deployment of fuel cell forklifts in Canada, Air Liquide says.

The contract is also the first of its type in the country and the first fleet of its kind supplied by the Air Liquide group.

Air Liquide Canada will integrate compact indoor hydrogen dispensers at Walmart Canada's distribution centre. It says the dispensers will supply a total of over 100kg (220lbs) of hydrogen a day and fill vehicles in less than two minutes. The 'fast filling' is expected to improve productivity by 2% compared to battery-powered forklifts.

The value of the contract was not disclosed.

Over 45 Air Liquide hydrogen stations have been installed around the world to date. Other publicly funded programs in Canada include the Vancouver and Montreal-Trudeau airports demonstration project and the Whistler station, which keeps BC Transit's fleet of 20 hydrogen buses on the road.

Francois Darchis, Air Liquide Group's senior vice-president, says the company is pleased to provide the hydrogen and filling infrastructure for the forklift fleet. "It is another step towards the global market Air Liquide has been anticipating. We are proud to accompany the development of this technological innovation that will help to preserve the environment. Both energy and the environment are growth drivers of the Air Liquide Group."

Established in 2011 and based in Paris, France, Air Liquide claims to be the world leader in gases for industry, health and the environment. It is present in over 75 countries with 42,300 employees.