Elogen, a joint venture between Faurecia and Michelin, which designs, produces and markets systems for H₂ mobility, announce the signing of a contract for the supply by Elogen of a PEM electrolyzer with an initial capacity of 2.5 MW for Symbio’s new fuel cell plant.

Located in Saint-Fons near Lyon, in the heart of the Vallée de la Chimie, Symbio’s first gigafactory will be one of the largest manufacturing sites for H₂ fuel cell systems in Europe with an eventual total production capacity of 50,000 systems per year. This flagship, called SymphonHy, will also house the Group’s head office, its R&D center, the Symbio H₂ Academy and an incubator for start-ups around decarbonized H₂.

SymphonHy will be a center of environmental excellence, certified BREEAM Very Good from the start thanks to high energy efficiency levels of its buildings and processes, its energy self-sufficiency, as well as the use of renewable energies and green H₂.

The Elogen electrolyzer will produce part of the H₂ volumes that Symbio will need to test and activate its fuel cell systems at the end of the manufacturing process. It will be designed in a modular way, allowing Symbio to produce one tpd of low-carbon H₂.

The electrolyzer will be delivered by Elogen to the Saint-Fons site during the 4Q of 2023, in line with the launch of production.

Philippe Rosier, CEO of Symbio said, “With this electrolyzer in situ at our Saint-Fons gigafactory, Symbio will be able to recycle the water and electricity resulting from its own production by producing part of its green H₂ needs. Symbio believes in the principles of the circular economy of which this project is a part and constitutes a first step, in line with our strategy and our vision for a more positive future. Furthermore, this announcement is a new testimony to the dynamism of the H₂ value chain in which our Group is delighted to actively participate.”

Jean-Baptiste Choimet, Managing Director of Elogen said, “We are delighted with the signing of this contract with Symbio, a world leader in H₂ mobility and technological partner of Elogen within the framework of the H₂ IPCEI. Symbio’s choice of the Elogen solution for its future high-tech plant in Saint-Fons confirms the relevance and attractiveness of the PEM technology developed by Elogen to produce green H₂ in a modular and flexible way. This new contract also represents an important step for Elogen since it highlights our ability to deploy our technology on several megawatts in the service of major industrial projects.”