Cross-laminated timber is now a material of choice for building low, mid-rise, and high-rise towers—and perhaps from now, hydrogen fuel stations, too! This week, Hydri, a subsidiary of Qarlbo Energy, co-owned by Swedish investment group Qarlbo and FAM, pledged to build several new stations out of mass timber as part of a major push to drive total decarbonisation across the transport and logistics value chain.
“At Hydri, we are very optimistic about developing infrastructure for renewable fuels, where hydrogen plays a key role,” according to Peter Ena, Hydri’s CEO, who added that the new stations – starting with Varnamo, Hallandsasen and Odeshog are part of a 30-plus portfolio of new stations that will rise across Sweden.
“By building stations with sustainable materials like cross-laminated timber (CLT), we are strengthening our ambition to contribute to the green transition and create long-term climate solutions for national and international traffic.”
Peter Ena, Hydri’s CEO on the decision to build hydrogen fuel stations out of cross laminated timber.
Supplied by Sodra—which is locally produced using Swedish timbers from its pulp mill and sawmill at the facility in Värö —CLT has several advantages over traditional steel frame construction. Thanks to its lower weight, fewer transports are required, thus allowing for more panels to be loaded per transport. In addition, it is quick, easy, and safe to assemble, all while being cost-effective and carbon-positive.
Speaking about the new “exciting partnership, “Ola Lundqvist, Sodra’s Business Development Manager for Building Systems, said it was “important to collaborate with actors who contribute to the green transition in our society. In our operations as a producer and supplier of CLT, transport accounts for the largest amount of fossil emissions. Hydri’s green hydrogen infrastructure expansion aligns with our climate goals of halving our fossil emissions by 2030.”
Why fuel stations are now ditching steel for timber.
In August, Wood Central revealed that Northern Ireland fuel supplier Circle K was ditching its traditional steel-frame canopy—used in tilt-up light industrial fuel station construction—and instead opting for a glulam beam and CLT canopy, a move that could expand to its 420-plus retail outlets across Ireland.
At the time, Glenfort Timber Engineering – Ireland’s leading mass timber fabricator, said there was a “huge opportunity” to replace steel with timber over the fuel pumps, a move that is not only best for the planet but also entirely safe proof: “Glulam has a predictable burn rate,” Mr Campebll said, adding that “this is taken into consideration at design creating a sacrificial char layer over the required structural beam size…this protects the beams that do not bend and buckle like steel in a fire.”
- To learn more about Sodra’s cross-laminated timber plant, click here for Wood Central’s special coverage from last year’s inside the Värö plant.
