Environment: France is moving forward with its hydrogen plan
Photo of a pump charging a vehicle with hydrogen at Le Mans, July 8, 2020. Jean-François Monier / AFP
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The French government presents its strategy for the hydrogen sector on Tuesday, September 8.
In total, Paris intends to put 7 billion euros on the table, including 2 billion from 2021-2027, as part of the France Relance plan.
But there is still a lot to do before hydrogen is widely established in France.
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About forty
hydrogen stations
already open are listed in France by the Afhypac observatory (French Association for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells).
From an industrial standpoint, too, there is still plenty of room for maneuver.
Certainly, large groups like Airliquide are investing in the sector.
Companies have launched so-called "green" production projects by electrolysis, that is to say from water, by separating the atoms of hydrogen and oxygen.
But in the newspaper
Le Monde
, the vice-president of Afhypac, Fabio Ferrari, admits that until now, the attempts to establish a sector have closely resembled the efforts of Sisyphus.
In his eyes, the government's plan to 7 billion euros by 2030 is a step.
France would like to associate with Germany
Public aid is changing scale.
In 2018, a plan was launched, but it had an envelope of 100 million euros.
This new plan should not only equip France with infrastructure.
Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the Minister for Industry, explained last week on
BFM Business
that the issue was "
to strengthen and accelerate the structuring of the hydrogen industry in France
".
To build an efficient sector, Paris does not want to go it alone and hopes to launch a joint project
with Germany
.
Berlin is investing 9 billion euros in the sector.
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