Statoil is a leading supporter of the hydrogen economy and will be making hydrogen, as well as natural gas, available to consumers at one of its existing stations, adjacent to its headquarters in Stavanger on Norway’s west coast, in cooperation with several partners, including gas supplier Lyse.  The partners in the scheme stated that they ‘believe that hydrogen is likely to become an important commercial energy bearer in the transport sector.’

This activity forms part of a national initiative in Norway to create its own ‘HyNor’ hydrogen highway (similar to the scheme underway on the west coast of the US), around the southern coast of Norway from Stavanger to Oslo by the end of 2000.  The Ministry of Transport and Communication, announced that approximately USD 7.5 million in funds have been earmarked for testing alternative fuels and environmentally friendly technology, with the lion's share of the funds going towards the HyNor project. 
The Minister Liv Signe Navarsete and Statoil CEO Helge Lund will open Norway’s first hydrogen filling station in Stavanger on 23rd August, coinciding with the conference and exhibition, where the ENV bike will also be present.

The exhibition, to which the British Ambassador to Norway, David Powell, has been invited, demonstrates the natural synergy between Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell technologies and and Statoil’s HyNor activities.

About Intelligent Energy:
Intelligent Energy is a world-leading fuel cell and hydrogen generation development company, creating and implementing new energy technologies and power delivery services for its business partners.  The company is above all an intellectual property-driven business, focused on commercialising its fuel cell and hydrogen generation technologies and providing solutions for global applications in the motive, distributed energy, military and portable power markets.  Intelligent Energy has received high-level public recognition for its portfolio of innovative technologies, first by winning the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track Research and Development Award and secondly, in December 2005, being named as one of only 36 companies worldwide to be nominated as a Technology Pioneer 2006 by The World Economic Forum.  Intelligent Energy also hit the world’s headlines in March 2005, when it launched ENV: the world’s first purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell bike (or Emissions Neutral Vehicle).  The bike went on to win a Popular Science ‘Best of What’s New Award’ and was recently named as one of the ‘Greatest Innovations of 2005’ by TIME Magazine.
http://www.intelligent-energy.com