Lhyfe and AREC Occitanie have announced that construction is starting on the Lhyfe Occitanie production facility, in Bessières (Haute-Garonne). The plant, which should be operational by the end of 2023, is one of the levers of the Occitanie Region for achieving the goals of its Occitanie H₂ Corridor project aimed at decarbonizing goods and passenger transport.

Following two first sites in Pays de la Loire (Bouin, Vendée) and in Brittany (Buléon, Morbihan), Lhyfe’s third production site will be in Occitanie. The Lhyfe Occitanie site is funded 80% by Lhyfe and 20% by AREC Occitanie. The plant will be in the Triangle business park in Bessières, 40 kilometres from Toulouse, on approximately 8,000 sq. meters of land.

The construction works have just commenced, and commissioning is due in December 2023. The Lhyfe Occitanie site will have the capacity to produce two tpd of green and renewable H₂ (equivalent to a generating capacity of 5 MW), with the possibility to ramp up production to meet growth in H₂ uses and needs in the region.

This project was selected 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. Occitanie is providing €5.9 MM to support the site’s creation, including €4.1 MM as a repayable advance and €1.89 MM in grants.

The Occitanie H₂ Corridor is part of the North–South European H₂ corridor project, which aims to decarbonize goods and passenger transport on an axis running between the Mediterranean and the North Sea.

In accordance with the aims of the Occitanie H₂ Corridor project led by the Region of Occitanie, this site will help to decarbonize these transport modes by supplying green and renewable H₂ to trucks, coaches and other fuel cell vehicles, on the Albi–Toulouse route, in particular.

The aim of the Region for the Occitanie H₂ Corridor is to have two renewable H₂ production facilities by the end of 2024, representing a total of six tpd of output to start, seven H₂ fuel stations (delivering 600 to 1 200 kg/d), 40 H₂-powered trucks, 62 refrigerated trailers/units and 15 regional interurban buses retrofit to run on H₂.

Lhyfe Occitanie could also deliver the various refueling stations that will be created in the region. In addition, thanks to its scalable production capacity, this site will also meet the green and renewable H₂ needs of industry (e.g. aeronautics, equipment manufacturing), transport/logistics providers and local authorities in the area wishing to decarbonize their mobility and/or processes.

Lhyfe Occitanie promotes a short supply chain logic with energy produced and consumed locally and can deliver its H₂ within a radius of 200 kilometers.

Carole Delga, President, Region of Occitanie said, “Making green H₂ one of the energies of the future in Occitanie, is the choice we made in 2019 in adopting a dedicated plan. Today, one of the biggest challenges of energy transition is heavy mobility. That is why the Region has initiated the Occitanie H₂ Corridor project, integrating industry and mobility on a European level. I am proud that this project is being developed here in Occitanie and that Lhyfe is contributing to decarbonization at the heart of our communities.”

Cédric Maurel, Mayor of Bessières said, “We are proud to be welcoming one of the first green and renewable H₂ production sites in Occitanie and to be taking part in the energy transition of our region. This project shows that there are solutions to drastically cut our CO₂ emissions. We are going to monitor the works closely so that the region’s users can switch to renewable H₂ from the end of this year!”

Christian Assaf, President, AREC said, “Occitanie has a head start on H₂. We know it and want to drive this potential by involving all communities and local enterprises in the regional dynamic. That is what we are doing today with Lhyfe which will help to confirm our position as a leader in renewable H₂ and accelerate the decarbonization of heavy mobility.”

Maud Augeai, Head of Territorial Development France at Lhyfe said, “Lhyfe Occitanie will be our first achievement in the South of France. We are fully focused on its realization in order to deliver the first kilos of green and renewable H₂ from the end of 2023, and enable the transportation of tons of goods and thousands of people in the region without emitting CO₂. As our plant is modular and scalable, it will adapt to the growth in uses in the coming months and years. Maxime Bourdillat, our Head of Development for Southwest France, now has an ear to the ground to identify mobility and industry market needs.”