Aurélien Fleurot 2:24 p.m., November 16, 2021

The Head of State is going to Béziers on Tuesday to a production site of electrolysers used to produce green hydrogen.

France wants to become a benchmark in this area.

Hydrogen could help gradually decarbonize industry and gradually replace oil.

France relies on hydrogen to decarbonize its industry and transport.

But for "zero CO2 emissions" to be meaningful, hydrogen production must no longer come from fossil fuels.

Several projects are underway, notably in Béziers, where the Genvia company manufactures electrolysers used for the production of carbon-free hydrogen.

Emmanuel Macron is going there this Tuesday as part of the France 2030 plan, to promote this new source of energy. 

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Switch to "green" hydrogen

Today, industrial hydrogen is made 95% from fossil resources. Essentially from natural gas or coal, which releases a lot of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is why it is called "gray" hydrogen. Whereas "green" hydrogen is produced after electrolysis of water: electricity will dissociate the molecules of oxygen from those of hydrogen. In this way, no gram of CO2 is released. Last step for it to be completely clean: use renewable electricity from wind, solar or hydroelectric farms.

The challenge for France is therefore now to produce this green hydrogen by relying, for example, on giants such as Air Liquide, until now a large producer of "gray" hydrogen but which has just acquired the H2V Normandy site, in Seine-Maritime.

This project plans to produce 28,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from 2025 to supply manufacturers in the Normandy basin.

But to support its massive development, it will quickly be necessary to lower the production cost of green hydrogen and at the same time multiply its current production by 700 by 2030.

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What uses?

The most obvious use of hydrogen is in transport.

In some cities, buses are already running on green hydrogen.

Many municipalities have projects for trucks, dumpsters and trains running on hydrogen.

Normandy, Occitanie and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region are at the forefront with mega-factory projects producing electrolysers and fuel cells.

They will be used in vehicles.

Hydrogen will decarbonise the economy and gradually replace oil.