Lhyfe obtains permit for second hydrogen production site in Brittany, France

French hydrogen producer Lhyfe has acquired the construction permit for its second green and renewable hydrogen production site in the Morbihan region of Brittany, France, and is about to begin preparatory construction work.

Lhyfe will produce green and renewable, or in other words totally carbon-free, hydrogen for local uses, by electrolysis of water using resources and energy sourced nearby.

It is expected that the site will have the capacity to produce up to 2 tonnes of green and renewable hydrogen per day (5 MW).

Lhyfe Bretagne should be operational by the second half of 2023, and the producer said it will mainly supply hydrogen for transport in the region and the industrial processes of regional companies.

The site is part of the VHyGO project, supported by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).

Under the VHyGO or Great West Hydrogen Valley initiative, Lhyfe Bretagne will supply two refuelling stations operated by HyGO in the Lorient area, one at the Lorient bus depot and the other, open to the public, on the left bank of the Scorff, for maritime purposes.

To launch the project, Lhyfe has identified a plot of land of approximately 6,800 m2 adjacent to a wind farm.

The next step is the civil engineering work that is expected to begin at the end of February, with commissioning scheduled for the second half of 2023.

Lhyfe said this announcement marks the beginning of a long series of deployments for the company as its aim is to have over 3 GW of installed capacity by 2030.

Lorient Agglomération area, which has already defined its green hydrogen needs, will be the first area in Brittany to benefit from the hydrogen produced at the Lhyfe site.

Lhyfe said that, as well as decarbonising uses, the project has a strong regional dimension as it is helping to build a hydrogen-related industry. It will benefit the following:

• Development of land-based uses as well as maritime and industrial hydrogen applications.
• Development of the local training offer (degree in Energy, Electrical, and Hydrogen engineering from the Southern Brittany University (UBS).
• Increase in skills of numerous companies in the hydrogen field (construction, operation, and maintenance of hydrogen infrastructure, and particularly of vehicles and boats).
• Provision of clean energy through the development of public hydrogen filling stations in Brittany.

Pierre Bouédo, Mayor of Buléon, Brittany, said: “We are proud to welcome the first green and renewable hydrogen production site in Brittany to Buléon. We are all the more proud as green and renewable hydrogen is just beginning to be deployed in France and throughout the world. The central location of Buléon will allow the whole region to gain in energy independence and to pursue the transition that is needed and that our citizens expect from us.”

Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomeration and Mayor of Lorient, Brittany, stated: “In 2023, Lorient Agglomération will accelerate its ecological and energy transition, via the decarbonisation of its land and sea transport… By promoting innovation and building on the structuring of new strategic sectors such as renewable hydrogen, Lorient Agglomération is strengthening its position as a major economic player in Brittany.”

Maud Augeai, Director of Territorial Development France at Lhyfe, noted: “The Great West Hydrogen Valley or VHyGO project, which aims to democratise access to green and renewable hydrogen in the west of France region, is a formidable vector for accelerating the sector.”

“We are keen to participate, with our public and private partners, in the construction of a hydrogen-related industry in Morbihan and, more widely, in Brittany. Green and renewable hydrogen is now a reality. Many ecosystems are being structured nationally and in Europe, in which Lhyfe is actively involved.”

The VHyGO initiative was launched in 2020 and brings together public and private players, under the coordination of Lhyfe.

Their ambition is to build the first supraregional infrastructure for the production and distribution of green hydrogen in France, in the west of France region, in order, in the long term, to reduce carbon footprint by 50,000 tonnes of CO2.

VHyGO aims to deploy five production sites for a volume of approximately 10 tonnes per day and 15 hydrogen filling stations in the regions of Brittany, Normandy, and Pays de la Loire.

ADEME selected the project for funding under its ‘Territorial Hydrogen Ecosystem’ call for projects.

Lhyfe is one of the world’s pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen and has multiple ongoing projects in France and other countries.

In September 2022, it inaugurated an offshore renewable green hydrogen production demonstrator in Saint-Nazaire, France.

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