The plant will be located in the Triangle business park in Bessières, 40 kilometres from Toulouse, on approximately 8,000 square metres of land. It will be Lhyfe's third production site, with the previous two located in Pays de la Loire, and Brittany. Lhyfe is funding 80 per cent of the project, while AREC Occitanie is funding the remaining 20 per cent. The company is aiming to develop similar facilities across the UK and Europe to support its net zero goals. Construction work has just begun and commissioning is due in December 2023.
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 5 MW), with the possibility to ramp up production to meet growing demand for hydrogen in the region.
The Occitanie H2 Corridor is a part of the North-South European hydrogen corridor initiative, which is designed to decarbonise passenger and goods transportation along an axis that extends from the Mediterranean to the North Sea.
The Lhyfe Occitanie plant will assist in the decarbonisation of these modes of transportation by supplying green and renewable hydrogen to trucks, coaches, and other fuel cell vehicles, particularly on the Albi-Toulouse route.
The Occitanie Region intends to have two renewable hydrogen production facilities by the end of 2024, producing a total of six tonnes of output per day, as well as seven hydrogen fuel stations that can supply between 600 and 1200 kg per day, 40 hydrogen-powered trucks, 62 refrigerated trailers/units, and 15 regional interurban buses retrofitted to run on hydrogen.
Lhyfe Occitanie could also supply the necessary refuelling stations that will be built in the region.
Furthermore, due to its scalable production capacity, the plant will also fulfil the demand for green and renewable hydrogen in industries such as aeronautics, equipment manufacturing, logistics providers, and local authorities interested in decarbonising their mobility and/or processes.
Lhyfe Occitanie supports a short supply chain concept by generating and consuming energy locally, and can provide its hydrogen within a 200-kilometre radius.
“Making green hydrogen one of the energies of the future in Occitanie, is the choice we made in 2019 in adopting a dedicated plan” said Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie region. “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 decarbonisation at the heart of our communities.”
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