Paris and Reykjavik, 10 July 2026 – As Energy Observer, the world’s first vessel powered by 100% renewable energies and onboard hydrogen production, arrived in Iceland, Qair welcomed the office of Iceland’s Minister of the Environment, Energy, and Climate, the Ambassador of France, and leading industrial stakeholders aboard the vessel. This event highlights Qair’s recognition as a trusted partner for Icelandic authorities and demonstrated the ability to develop large-scale sustainable energy solutions in strategic markets.
For Qair, Iceland represents one of the Group’s flagship markets for renewable hydrogen development. Combining abundant renewable resources with strong industrial demand and supportive public authorities, the country illustrates Qair’s strategy of developing integrated renewable ecosystems capable of delivering long-term value for local economies while contributing to energy sovereignty.
Guillaume Bazard, French Ambassador to Iceland, visiting Energy Observer
Energy Observer and Qair: a shared vision for zero-emission mobility
Energy Observer’s stopover in Iceland follows its recent visit to Port-La Nouvelle (France), where Qair symbolically presented the vessel with the first molecule of green hydrogen produced by Hyd’Occ, France’s largest operational H2 production unit. Arriving in Iceland with this molecule onboard, Energy Observer demonstrates the feasibility of green hydrogen—produced from renewable energy—as a solution for decarbonizing maritime transport, a sector of strategic importance for Iceland.
As Energy Observer has validated such technology across the world’s oceans over the past several years, Qair is transforming a proof of concept—demonstrated aboard a pioneering vessel—into a nationwide reality. By leveraging Iceland’s unique combination of wind, hydropower, and geothermal energy, Qair is developing the infrastructure needed to produce and distribute green hydrogen at scale, accelerating the global transition to renewable hydrogen.
Marin Jarry, Captain of Energy Observer, delivers the first molecule of renewable hydrogen produced by Hyd’Occ to Tryggvi Thor Herbertsson, Chairman of Qair Iceland H2 and Fridjon Thordarson, CEO of Qair Island
Advancing Iceland’s energy transition
From pilot green H2 projects to large-scale production
Qair’s hydrogen strategy follows a clear industrial roadmap, built on operational experience, scalability, and a holistic approach to the entire H2 value chain. Drawing on its experience from its Hyd’Occ pilot renewable hydrogen production and distribution ecosystem, Qair is now deploying industrial-scale hydrogen projects in regions offering world-class renewable resources for competitive hydrogen production.
In Iceland, Qair is advancing the Katanes project, an 840 MW e-fuel facility in Grundartangi. At full capacity, the plant will produce up to 120,000 tons of renewable hydrogen or 700,000 tons of renewable ammonia annually, powered by Qair’s 780 MW wind pipeline and other renewable sources. Qair also operates two hydrogen refuelling stations, in service since 2003.
These projects showcase Qair’s ability to bridge innovative pilot projects with large-scale, sustainable energy infrastructure, delivering locally relevant and globally impactful energy solutions.
Learn more about Qair's international renewable hydrogen strategy
Wind Energy: a driver for Iceland’s energy sovereignty
Wind energy plays a pivotal role in Qair’s vision for Iceland. By complementing the country’s existing hydro and geothermal resources, wind increases renewable electricity availability, strengthens energy security and unlocks the large-scale production of renewable hydrogen required to decarbonize transport and industry.
Qair currently has two advanced wind projects in Iceland: Hnotasteinn and Solheimar. The latter has been tailored to address site-specific technical, landscape, and biodiversity considerations, resulting in its capacity being reduced from 209 MW to 108 MW.
This project exemplifies Qair’s extensive experience in integrating wind farms into diverse environments and its ability to address environmental and social impacts throughout the entire lifespan of its projects, often spanning two or three decades.
Energy storage to tackle the intermittency of wind power
To mitigate the natural variability of wind power, Qair will incorporate a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to its Katanes and wind projects. This system smooths short-term power fluctuations, captures excess renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed, and reduces stress on the electrolyser, the plant’s core production equipment. By optimising the use of renewable wind resources, the BESS ensures stable and efficient green hydrogen and ammonia production while reinforcing Katanes’ role as a flexible demand source in Iceland’s power grid system.
Energy Observer: a catalyst for dialogue and innovation
Through its integrated portfolio of renewable electricity, battery storage and renewable hydrogen projects, Qair is building long-term energy infrastructure capable of supporting Europe’s decarbonization while creating lasting value for local communities and industrial partners.
Energy Observer’s visit to Iceland served as a bridge for a dialogue between Qair, Icelandic authorities, and industrial partners, sharing a common ambition: turning innovation into large-scale deployment and demonstrating that the technologies shaping tomorrow’s energy systems are already becoming a reality.
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About Qair
Qair is an independent renewable energy company developing, financing, building, and operating solar, wind, storage and green hydrogen production assets.
With 1.7 GW of capacity in operation, the Group’s 800 employees are developing a portfolio pipeline of 30 GW in 20 countries across Europe, Latin America and Africa. Our ambition is to become an independent leader in responsible energy.
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