Norwegian Hydrogen, FirstElement Fuel and Mitsui to develop hydrogen refuelling stations

Norwegian Hydrogen AS, FirstElement Fuel Inc. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. have signed a cooperation agreement to develop a hydrogen refueling infrastructure and accelerate the zero-emission hydrogen transportation market in the Nordic countries.

Norwegian Hydrogen and FirstElement Fuel will work together to accelerate the expansion of the hydrogen network throughout the entire Nordic region. Mitsui will join the team, adding their strength in global infrastructure expansion to leverage the vast experience gained by FirstElement Fuel in California, US.

The cooperation agreement struck by the three parties outlines how each plans to leverage its best-in-class experience and know-how to develop hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the Nordic countries, with a focus on the end-user.

California-based First Element Fuel Inc. owns and operates the True Zero Hydrogen Network – the world’s largest combined hydrogen station network, consisting of 36 stations on the US West Coast today and expanding to 55 stations by the end of 2023. Using its True Zero Platform, a scalable and exportable playbook for the rollout of hydrogen stations based on FirstElement’s proven track record in California over the past ten years.

Joel Ewanick, Founder and CEO of FirstElement Fuel, which owns the True Zero Hydrogen Network, said, “Supporting Norwegian Hydrogen with their growth plans is part of what we always hoped to do – use our learnings and our True Zero Platform to create a positive customer experience and make hydrogen successful everywhere in the world. ”

Jens Berge, CEO of Norwegian Hydrogen, added, “The dialogue with our friends in the US and in Japan has developed in a very positive way over time, and their support will be of great importance for us.”

Hiroshi Kakiuchi, the Managing Officer of the Performance Materials Business Unit at Mitsui, commented, “We are honored to leverage our existing relationship with Norwegian Hydrogen, the affiliate of Hexagon Purus to expedite the geographic expansion of FirstElement Fuel into European countries.”