Construction works on the Lhyfe Occitanie green hydrogen production facility, in Bessières, France has begun according to Lhyfe. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2023 and is said to be one of the enablers of the Occitanie region for achieving the goals of its Occitanie H2 Corridor project, which aims to decarbonise goods and passenger transport.
The plant will be located in the Triangle business park in Bessières, 40km from Toulouse, on approximately 8,000sqm of land. Construction works have just commenced and commissioning is due to take place in December 2023. The Lhyfe Occitanie site is funded 80% by Lhyfe and 20% by AREC Occitanie, the firm said.
The Lhyfe Occitanie site will have the capacity to produce two tonnes of green and renewable hydrogen a day (equivalent to a generating capacity of 5MW), with the capability to ramp production to meet growth in hydrogen uses and needs in the region.
This firm said that the project was green-lit in late 2021 by the Occitanie Region as part of the Occitanie H2 Corridor scheme. The financing agreement for the project was signed with the Occitanie Region in November 2022, and Occitanie is providing $6.5mn to support the site’s creation, including $4.5mn as a repayable advance, and $2mn in grants.
The Occitanie H2 Corridor is part of the North–South European hydrogen corridor project, which aims to decarbonise goods and passenger transport on an axis running between the Mediterranean and the North Sea.
In line with the goals of the Occitanie H2 Corridor project, the new facility will help decarbonise transport modes by supplying green and renewable hydrogen to trucks, coaches and other fuel cell vehicles, on the Albi–Toulouse route.
The aim of the Region for the Occitanie H2 Corridor is to have two renewable hydrogen production facilities by the end of 2024, representing a total of six tonnes of output a day to start, seven hydrogen fuel stations (delivering 600 to 1,200kg a day), 40 hydrogen-powered trucks, 62 refrigerated trailers/units and 15 regional interurban buses retrofit to run on hydrogen.
Lhyfe Occitanie could also deliver the various refuelling stations that will be created in the region, the firm explained.
Thanks to its scalable production capacity, this site will also meet the green and renewable hydrogen needs of industry (e.g. aeronautics, equipment manufacturing), transport/logistics providers and local authorities in the area wishing to decarbonise their mobility and/or processes, the statement concluded.
