Lloyd’s Register’s Risk Management Consulting team in Norway signed three exclusive frame agreements to help companies in the region achieve sustainable approaches to cut pollution from greenhouse gas emissions across its transportation sector.

ASKO, a Norway-based grocery retail logistics provider, is using zero emission expertise from Lloyd’s Register, London, in an effort to achieve 100% zero emissions in its transportation of goods and services. To do so, the company ordered a number of heavy good vehicles using the fuel-cell electric transmission and power-train for medium-distance grocery transportation in mid-Norway.

“We want to run facilities and systems that support the transport needs of tomorrow and that help us achieve our zero emission goals, so we are looking at ways of operating that will better our high level of service and reliability that customers of ASKO currently enjoy, but knowing we are achieving our emission aims is critical to our business model,” says Jørn Endresen, director at ASKO MIDT – NORGE AS. “Thanks to Lloyd’s Register, we are using their technical expertise to help us undergo the most rigorous of sustainability challenges we have ever undertaken. We are confident that their risk analysis approach and their local knowledge and understanding of environmental challenges will help us achieve cleaner transport.” 

ASKO is establishing a hydrogen production facility based on solar cell-powered electrolyzers and re-fueling station for vehicles. The contract will see Lloyd’s Register conduct the risk analysis for land use planning requirements on behalf of NEL, which delivers the hydrogen systems and ASKO as operator.

Lloyd’s Register tapped Uno-X Hydrogen to deliver risk analyses (QRA) for its H2 re-fueling station rollout program, which runs through 2020. Uno-X Hydrogen is a joint venture between NEL, Praxair and Uno-X Energy.

The initial phase of the program involves building 20 hydrogen stations across Norway, a region where the Lloyd’s Register RMC team has already received the first three frame agreement call-offs for Greenfield road vehicle re-fueling stations in the Oslo and Bergen area. 

Uno-X Hydrogen has a second-phase expansion plan after 2020, where hydrogen stations can either be produced on site by electrolysis or delivered in high-pressure H2 cylinders/vessels.

Lloyd’s Register’s insight into sustainability is being used in the Mobility Zero Emission Energy Systems (MoZEES) initiative, led by Norwegian research institute IFE. MoZEES' main objective is "to be a Center for Environment-friendly Energy Research (FME)” and has a program designed to look at how best to develop new battery and hydrogen materials, components and technologies for existing and future transport applications on road, rail and sea. Lloyd’s Register will contribute to the program by providing risk studies on hydrogen safety for marine transportation.

"There are a number of zero emission transportation initiatives under way, and we are very pleased to be operating in this area,” adds Therese Lyngstøl Baas, operations manager – risk management services at Lloyd’s Register. “Our participation in the MoZEES work in particular is a really interesting one, and we are confident our expertise will support companies involved in the program toward achieving a cleaner, sustainable transportation approach for their own business model as well as the wider ‘clean-drive’ transportation initiatives across Norway.”

The concept behind the Norwegian low carbon transport model of the “green fleet” combined with Lloyd’s Register’s zero emission technical insight is transferable to other cities, organizations and countries. In Europe, transportation is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. And, while Europe’s industrial emissions have fallen by 38% since 1990, those in the transportation sector, including aviation have increased by 9%. 

The combination of rapid technological advances in clean, sustainable power transport systems and low carbon expertise from Lloyd’s Register shows that there’s more to the prediction of a low carbon future than industry optimism. Norway is the clear clean transport pacesetter in Europe, which now has about 500,000 electric vehicles. China leads the world in electric vehicle usage with about 600,000 all-electric vehicles on the road and a plan to deploy 5m EVs by 2020.

“The trailblazing achievements of the Norwegians are just one reason why experts believe the next few years are crucial for the breakout of zero emission mobility in Europe and beyond,” says Lyngstøl Baas.