(Reykjavik / Iceland) – The French Qair Group is acquiring a 50 percent stake in Íslenska Vetnisfélagið, a subsidiary of Orkan, the only provider of hydrogen filling stations in Iceland. As part of a joint venture, Qair and Orkan want to jointly develop a pilot project for a hydrogen infrastructure. With two hydrogen filling stations for trucks and cars already in operation in the greater Reykjavik area, four new stations are to be installed in Reykjavik, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir and Freysnes in the next few years and an integrated sales and production system to supply these stations is to be developed.
The planned H2 filling station network runs along the Icelandic ring road. The longest distance between gas stations is approximately 380 kilometers. © Qair Group
The gas station network runs along the Icelandic ring road, with the longest distance between the stations being around 380 kilometers. The systems are scheduled to go into operation by 2026. Orkan already has a well-developed gas station network in Iceland. “This new hydrogen infrastructure project will enable Iceland to become the first country in the world to enable hydrogen transport throughout its territory without carbon emissions,” says Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson, Chairman of Qair Island.
From left: Auður Daníelsdóttir, CEO of Orkan IS, Guðmundur Ingi Þorsteinsson, CEO of Íslenska Vetnisfélagið, Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson, Chairman of Qair Island and Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate. © Qair Group
To supply the stations, Íslenska Vetnisfélaðið will develop electrolyzers with a capacity of five megawatts in Grundartangi, one of Iceland's leading industrial areas. The site has already been secured by Qair and the statutory environmental assessment has begun. With the filling station and electrolysis projects, Qair wants to expand its presence on the Icelandic market.
Qair wants to develop a green hydrogen production project in Grundartangi (Photo: Port) and thus expand its presence on the Icelandic market. © Qair Group
Qair develops, finances, builds and operates projects in PV, onshore and offshore wind, hydropower, tidal energy, energy from waste and green hydrogen production and storage. According to the information, systems with a cumulative total of more than one gigawatt are currently in operation or under construction. The group's 550 employees developed a pipeline of an additional 30 gigawatts in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Qair Iceland EHF has been operating since 2017 and claims to be the country's largest wind power developer with a pipeline of over 780 megawatts. The company is the largest shareholder in Arctic Hydro, an Icelandic developer of hydroelectric power plants.
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The Orkan IS Group is represented in Iceland with several brands and is one of the largest retailers in the country. Orkan operates, among other things, 70 gas stations, two hydrogen filling stations, a methane filling station and charging stations for electric cars. The company belongs to the investment company Skel Fjárfestingafélag HF © Skel Fjárfestingafélag HF
