EU grants €8.9 million for advanced hydrogen valley in Western France

An 18-member consortium, coordinated by French hydrogen producer Lhyfe, has launched a new project to establish an advanced green hydrogen valley in Western France. The project has received an €8.9 million grant from the European Commission through the Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.

The project called AdvancedH2Valley was officially kicked off at a meeting held on January 22-23, 2024, in Nantes, France.

Based in the French Loire Valley, the AdvancedH2Valley project aims to foster the Atlantic area’s energy transition and set the standard for clean, green, and renewable hydrogen.

With the EU funding – mainly dedicated to the uses and distribution of hydrogen – the project plans to introduce up to 11.5 MW of new production capacities, in addition to the 1 MW pioneer unit already in operation.

It also aims to introduce innovative processes, including deploying one of the first hydrogen truck fleets in the country, hydrogen maritime applications, harbor logistics and hydrogen light commercial vehicles including taxis.

The project envisions producing over 1,600 tons of green and renewable hydrogen annually by 2028.

Aligned with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, it establishes two new public Hydrogen Refueling Stations in addition to the five stations already in operation and a tailored supply chain, contributing significantly to the region’s sustainable energy goals and massification of the uses.

Apart from Lhyfe, the beneficiary members of the consortium are EnR44 (France), Teréga Solutions (France), Hyliko (France), Département de Loire-Atlantique (France), SAS Terminal du Grand Ouest – TGO (France), Fraikin France (France), Zamenhof Exploitation (France), Hype (France), Fundacion Tecnalia Research & Innovation (Spain), Université D’Orleans (France), Université Bretagne Sud (France), Warrant Hub Spa (Italy), and Automobile Club de l’Ouest (France).