The new station will be a part of the planned hydrogen route between Oslo and Stavanger. The so-called HyNor venture is a joint project, with around 30 public and private partners cooperating in order to boost the use of hydrogen for transport purposes in Norway.
The project aims to make it possible to drive hydrogen vehicles from Stavanger to Oslo by the end of 2009, supported by junctions with local activity in Stavanger, Lyngdal, Porsgrunn, Drammen and Oslo. Hydro said that the new station will form an important intersection on the route.
Nine hydrogen vehicles will be connected to the Heroya station, which, as a result, will have the world’s second largest fleet of hydrogen cars. The cars are Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, with both electric motors and combustion engines converted to run on hydrogen.
Hydrogen contains no environmentally hazardous substances, and only water is emitted from hydrogen cars. The company hopes that this new environmentally friendly energy solution will help in the fight against climate change.
When the foundation stone of the station was laid on May 31, 2006, Hydro’s CEO, Eivind Reiten, said: Meeting the climate challenge requires new and more environmentally friendly forms of transport, and in this work industry has a key role – in developing new technology and seeking out new and exciting solutions.
The hydrogen for the station will be supplied from petrochemical plants at Rafnes, as it is a by-product of the facilities’ operations. The hydrogen from Rafnes will be transported by pipeline to Heroya, making it the world’s first publicly accessible hydrogen station connected to a sizeable industrial plant.
