After an incidente at one of their stations in Sandvika in Norway Nel ASA (Nel, OSE:NEL) announced preliminary findings on June 13, 2019 from safety consultancy Gexcon regarding the incident at the Kjørbo hydrogen station on June 10, 2019.  Nel received a report of an incident involving a fire at the Kjørbo hydrogen station at 17:40 CEST on June 10, 2019. The fire was contained just after 20:00 CEST. Immediately upon receiving notification, Nel mobilized its crisis response team in Norway and Denmark. Two experts are said to have flown in from Denmark during the night to advise the rescue forces on site and support the authorities in their technical investigations.The operating company Uno-X Hydrogen is a joint venture of Uno-X, Nel and Praxair. They inaugurated the station in November 2016 as the first of a new generation of filling stations developed by Nel. In addition to requiring less space, it is a new layout that distinguishes this type of station: Due to the improved cooling of the hydrogen, the pump can be placed up to 50 meters away from the other components.

“Based on what we have seen at the site, we can conclude that neither the elctrolyzer nor the dispenser used by customers had anything to do with this incident. We will continue to analyze the other components of the site to further narrow down the source,” says Geirmund Vislie, Vice President Consultant of Gexcon AS.

In addition to the electrolyzer and the dispenser used by customers, the Kjørbo site comprises of a stationary low-pressure storage unit, a low-pressure transport unit, a stationary high-pressure storage unit, various valve panels, and a hydrogen refueling station unit. The Kjørbo site also includes a containerized, pressurized alkaline electrolyzer that produces hydrogen in part from solar power. This is delivered by the Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser division.

“We are pleased with the preliminary findings, and our electrolyzer division will now return to business as usual,” says Jon André Løkke, Nel has published a dedicated status update and Q&A site to address the incident at the Kjørbo hydrogen station. The site can be accessed on www.nelhydrogen.com, and will updated as new information becomes available.

Photo: NEL Station in Sandvika just after the opening in 2016