Praxair partners with NEL ASA on hydrogen refueling network in Norway; invests in Uno-X JV
24 May 2016
Uno-X Hydrogen AS, a NEL ASA (NEL) joint venture, has entered into an agreement with a Norwegian affiliate of Praxair, a leading global industrial gas company, as a strategic alliance to install 20 hydrogen refuelling stations, covering all the major cities in Norway by 2020. As part of the agreement, Praxair’s Norwegian affiliate will aqcuire a 20% ownership interest in the joint venture.
Following the agreement, Praxair’s Norwegian affiliate will hold 20% of Uno-X Hydrogen, with Uno-X Gruppen and NEL holding 41% and 39%, respectively. The joint venture will build a network of hydrogen refueling stations with hydrogen production, allowing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to operate in and between all the major cities in Norway. The stations will be deployed in cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, and Kristiansand, along with corresponding corridor locations.
Our joint venture will identify and develop the production infrastructure necessary to support a Norwegian network of refuelling stations. We believe that working closely with gas and oil companies, like we have done in Denmark and are now doing in Norway, is a recipe that can be successfully replicated around the globe.
—Jon André Løkke, CEO of NEL ASA
Praxair, Inc., a Fortune 250 company with 2015 sales of $11 billion, is the largest industrial gas company in North and South America and one of the largest worldwide.
NEL ASA is the first dedicated hydrogen company on the Oslo Stock Exchange. NEL is a global supplier of hydrogen solutions, covering the entire value chain from hydrogen production technologies to hydrogen refueling stations.
Excellent news for near future H2 stations and extended range, quick refill FCEVs in Norway.
Wonder what will be the percentage of excess REs used to produce H2?
It could become a model for us (Quebec/Canada) to install a progressive H2 stations network using excess Hydro/Wind energy. A very thin network could start with 20+ stations and add 20+ stations a year on an as required basis. Quebec Hydro with the help of low interest Green Bonds and large pension Funds could finance 20+ H2 stations/year.
Posted by: HarveyD | 24 May 2016 at 08:37 AM