Oslo Airport to get hydrogen station

Soon you will be able to fill up your hydrogen-powered vehicle at Norway's main airport.

A hydrogen station will be opening at Oslo Airport, in cooperation with Akershus County Authority, HYOP and Lillestrøm Centre of Expertise. Hydrogen cars are so-called zero-emission vehicles, as they only release water locally. Oslo Airport purchased its first hydrogen vehicle in 2014, and it is used on a daily basis by Airport Patrol.

"It's exciting to be able to offer hydrogen at our airport. We want to facilitate use of zero-emission vehicles locally, in the ground transport service, and for external users," says Tom Erling Moen, Environmental Manager at Oslo Airport.

"We will be phasing out use of fossil fuels in our own vehicles, which means that we have to test different technological solutions such as bio-fuel, electricity and hydrogen.

Country Authority to provide financial support
The hydrogen station now opening at Oslo Airport is being moved from Kjellstad, outside Drammen. Akershus County Authority is providing financial support for the project.

"In Akershus County Authority, we are working diligently and with a long-term perspective towards zero emissions. Norway leads the world when it comes to electric cars, with incentives such as free parking in downtown areas, no fees and permission to drive in the mass transit lane in most places. All of these incentives also apply to hydrogen cars," says Solveig Schytz, head of the Committee for Planning, Economic Development and Environment in Akershus County Authority.

"As a regional authority, we see that electric cars have been a success for us, but we also have to facilitate use of other zero-emission technologies.

Schytz believes that Norway has to set a good example for the rest of the world.

"Our goal is to have equal success with hydrogen vehicles as we have had with electric cars. Norway may be a small market, but we can lead the way and show the rest of the world that this is possible," she says. The automobile industry is preparing to launch many new hydrogen-powered models in the next few years, but they need predictable infrastructure development in order to plan launches in the respective countries.

"Therefore, we have prepared a plan for how we can achieve this within ten years. When we reach a point where we have 10 000 hydrogen vehicles, the market will be self-sustaining because hydrogen can then be produced and a profit earned from selling it as one of the products at regular petrol stations.

Schytz thinks Oslo Airport is a perfect location for a hydrogen station.

"As a public player, we need to be there right from the start. The cost of setting up a hydrogen station is far greater than setting up a charging station for electric cars."

"We are very pleased that Oslo Airport is part of the team, and we think it is very appropriate that we have a hydrogen station here. The station can be used by Oslo Airport's own vehicles, vehicles belonging to other players at the airports, as well as visitors who can fill up their hydrogen cars here," Schytz concludes.

"Exciting location"
HYOP owns and operates hydrogen stations in Norway, including the one now being established at Oslo Airport.

"Working alongside Oslo Airport has been very exciting, where we are looking into the possibility of using hydrogen both for Oslo Airport, but also for everyone who uses the airport," says Ulf Hafseld, general manager of HYOP.

"The station will have a very exciting location, which will also give us a more northerly station in relation to Oslo, which means that people can drive further north on hydrogen than was previously the case.

Even before the station starts operating, options are being considered for making it even more useful. This work is being done in a consortium headed by Lillestrøm Centre of Expertise, where a project report now being finalised will outline potential further development stages and vehicle fleets, including the taxi segment, heavier vehicles, and buses both in and outside the airport.

"I am eager to see what we can accomplish together in the time ahead, and we are already looking into the possibility of adding a dispenser for filling vehicles on the inside of the airport fence to serve traffic inside the airport perimeters," says Hafseld.