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By Philippe Legueltel, Correspondent in Caen
By 2026, the industrial company should commission a 200-megawatt electrolyzer near Le Havre for decarbonizing the Normandy industrial basin. Air Liquide aims to scale up its hydrogen production and reach a capacity of 3 gigawatts by 2030.
It will be one of the world's largest electrolyzers dedicated to hydrogen production. In the global race for size, Air Liquide's future investment in Normandy will have a capacity of 200 megawatts (MW). Named "Normand'Hy," the project, in partnership with Siemens Energy, will, by 2026, prevent the emission of 250,000 tons of CO2 annually.
It will be located in the municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Folleville (Seine-Maritime), near the largest plant of the industrial company located in Port-Jérôme, east of Le Havre. The location was not chosen randomly, as the geographical area alone accounts for 13% of French industrial CO2 emissions. "There is a real challenge starting with industrial basins. It's a first on this scale and a case study of what we want to initiate in a global race with major projects in Australia or the Middle East," explains Erwin Penfornis, Vice President of the Global Hydrogen Energy division at Air Liquide.
The production will reach 80 tons of hydrogen per day. Half of it will be delivered to the TotalEnergies refinery in Gonfreville-l'Orcher, located nearby. The industrial company is counting on the imminent signing of a memorandum of understanding with the French refiner. "We will connect the electrolyzer to our hydrogen network in Normandy, contributing to the development of the world's first low-carbon hydrogen network to help our customers decarbonize," adds Christophe Grill, Industrial Manager, and Site Director of Port-Jérôme. The company promises to source green electricity locally while remaining evasive about the specific sources considered.
With a value of €400 million, Air Liquide's project will receive €190 million in subsidies. The industrial company, present in 70 countries with a turnover of €30 billion, aims to scale up by 2030 and plans to increase its total electrolysis capacity to 3 gigawatts (GW) to produce renewable hydrogen.
It recently inaugurated an electrolyzer gigafactory in Berlin, in partnership with Siemens Energy, on a 2,000 m² site. The two partners, benefiting from a portfolio of hydrogen projects, plan to increase the annual production capacity of the plant, currently 1 GW, to 3 GW by 2025.
After Denmark in 2017, Air Liquide started an electrolyzer in Canada in 2021, with a capacity of 8.2 tons of hydrogen per day. This can fuel more than 2,000 cars or 230 trucks. The Oberhausen electrolyzer (Germany) is nearing completion and is expected to reach 30 MW for the decarbonization of the Rhine and Ruhr industrial basin. In addition to the Normandy project, two electrolyzers are also expected in the Netherlands in 2026-2027.
The stakes are high. The energy transition requires the industry and transportation, which account for 43% of global CO2 emissions, to scale up in the race for decarbonization. "We have mastered hydrogen for 60 years with the design of over 200 stations and the existence of 350 production units," emphasizes Erwin Penfornis.
"Die Technologie funktioniert"
Hylane, a truck rental company, is expanding its hydrogen fleet in response to increasing demand. The DEVK subsidiary plans to add 60 hydrogen-powered trucks, increasing its fleet from 122 to 182 vehicles. The company is also in talks about potential collaborations in France and Australia. Sara Schiffer and Bernd Zens, the managing directors, expressed confidence in hydrogen technology, emphasizing its functionality.
Despite battery-powered trucks being more established in the market, Hylane's success with hydrogen trucks presents an alternative approach compared to major German automakers like Daimler, who primarily focus on battery-powered vehicles.
Hylane's hydrogen fleet consists of trucks from various manufacturers, including Hyundai, a leading player in fuel cell vehicles, Iveco, and a recent partnership with Quantron, a Bavarian truck manufacturer. The company targets logistics firms with its hydrogen vehicles, emphasizing the growing demand for heavy-duty hydrogen transporters. Hylane's strategy and success are viewed as noteworthy for the entire German automotive industry.