Land and Forest Iceland
Land and forest received bronze
2nd October 2024
In the recently concluded annual meeting of the National Electricity Regulatory Authority Orkustofnun, held in Hof, Akureyri, several public institutions were acknowledged for their notable achievements in transitioning their fleet of cars to electric. Among these institutions, Land and Forest Iceland achieved the ratio of approximately one-third electric cars in their fleet, which earned the institute the bronze recognition.
The government's recently updated climate action plan introduces a significant measure aimed at achieving full energy exchange for the national fleet and transport services by the year 2030. This initiative entails the completion of energy exchange for government agencies' and state-owned companies' fleets of passenger cars and vans by 2030. Consequently, all state-owned and operated passenger cars and vans will be exclusively fueled by Icelandic renewable energy by the end of 2029. A report published on the National Energy Regulatory's website highlights the economic advantages of electric transportation, demonstrating its superiority in terms of both acquisition and operational costs compared to gasoline and diesel powered vehicles.
It is crucial to acknowledge that the action plan was developed in close collaboration with the Icelandic Automobile Association (Bílgreinasambandið). Notably, experts from the association did not identify any technical impediments that would hinder the replacement of fossil fuel vehicles with electric vehicles in the passenger and van categories within the public sector over the next six years. While certain current vehicles may not be suitable for this transition, the anticipated introduction of new electric car models in the coming years is expected to effectively address this issue.
The state's energy transition in transportation is already in progress. Government agencies are tasked with developing a comprehensive plan for energy exchange by 2030. This plan will establish regulations for procuring transportation services that prioritise the utilisation of electric vehicles powered by Icelandic and environmentally friendly energy sources.
As part of this work, the National Energy Regulatory has created a system of accreditation for government agencies, which rewards them as they achieve better results in the energy transition. Bronze, silver, gold and platinum are available.
At the annual meeting of the National Energy Regulatory, which took place in Hof, Akureyri, on September 26, awards were granted for the first time in the presence of Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate and representatives of the National Energy Regulatory. The first institution to receive platinum for replacing all fossil fuel vehicles with electric vehicles was the Health Institute of Suðurnes.
The award is presented in the form of a scratch ticket. The concept is that institutions will scratch and release the awards based on their accomplishments in significantly increasing the number of electric vehicles in their fleet. Minister Guðlaugur Þór accepted the gold distinction on behalf of Umbra, the Government Offices Service Centre, which has made significant progress in its energy transition. The Police Commissioner in West Iceland also received gold, as electric vehicles now account for more than 90% of their operational fleet. The Land and Forest Iceland has achieved one-third of the electric vehicle targets, resulting in the agency receiving bronze.
The headline image displays representatives from over half of the organisations that were invited to receive the award at the annual meeting of the National Energy Regulatory. On the far right is Halla Logadóttir, Director of Energy, and on the far left is Sigurður Ingi Friðleifsson, Director of Climate Change and Innovation at the Regulatory. Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarsson, Minister of the Environment, Energy, and Climate Change, is in the middle.