Port-La Nouvelle poised to become ‘a key hub’ for green hydrogen and CO2

October 17, 2024, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

A consortium of partners is looking to establish an essential hub for low-carbon hydrogen and CO2 management in the Mediterranean within Port-La Nouvelle in France.

On September 20, 2024, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Occitanie Region, DEME Concessions NV, Euroports and Teréga.

The ambitious project is part of the energy transition, both at regional and European level, the parties said.

Specifically, the partnership aims to develop port and logistics infrastructures in Port-La Nouvelle dedicated to the future flows of clean molecules such as hydrogen as well as to those relating to CO2, and other alternative fuels or low-carbon by-products. The partners will collaborate on a feasibility assessment and design of these infrastructures in close coordination with local stakeholders.

In collaboration with European projects such as the HySoW hydrogen corridors, or those related to CO2, these initiatives will connect the port of Port-La Nouvelle to major hydrogen and CO2 transport infrastructures, thus strengthening its role in the energy transition.

The development of the port infrastructure will transform the port of Port-La-Nouvelle into a platform for the import and export of hydrogen, CO2 and low-carbon by-products. Eventually, hydrogen import capacity could reach 2 million tons per year.

SEMOP Port-La Nouvelle is the concessionaire of the port of Port-La Nouvelle, for which the Occitanie Region is the concession grantor. While the region is a public partner within SEMOP, Euroports and DEME Concessions are industrial partners. Teréga, a long-standing player in gas transport and storage in the south-west of France, is thus investing alongside these players through this partnership.

The port of Port-La Nouvelle is expanding rapidly. At this stage, SEMOP has already carried out major extension work in deep waters, including the dredging of the port at 15.9 meters to accommodate large seagoing ships and the creation of more than 150 hectares of land area. In addition to these achievements, the construction of specialized jetties for the handling of liquid bulk is ongoing. This extension will be operational in 2026.

This partnership is said to be fully in line with the REPOS strategy of the Occitanie Region, which aims to become a POSitive Energy Region and meet 100% of energy needs with renewable energies by 2050. It will thus contribute to strengthening the industrial and energy attractiveness of the region while promoting job creation.

“This partnership marks a key milestone in our commitment to the energy transition. By collaborating with strategic players such as the Occitanie Region, DEME and Euroports, we are setting up innovative infrastructures that will make Port-La-Nouvelle a key hub for green hydrogen and CO2. This project reinforces our ambition to develop sustainable solutions to accelerate the decarbonization of territories and support France towards a carbon-neutral economy,” Dominique Mockly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Teréga, commented.

“By leveraging our expertise in port logistics, we are proud to contribute to the potential development of Port-La-Nouvelle as a strategic hub for green hydrogen and CO2 management. Together with our partners, we aim to build sustainable infrastructure that supports Europe’s transition to a carbon-neutral future, while reinforcing the Mediterranean’s role in global energy logistics,” Frédéric Platini, CEO of Euroports, said.

“The signing of this agreement reinforces the strategic role of the port of Port-La-Nouvelle, where we have made substantial investments to establish it as the port of energy transition in the Mediterranean. This initiative also enhances our goals in low-carbon energies, including green hydrogen, the potential of which the Region recognized early on and is now advancing through a dedicated €150 million plan. Today, I celebrate this partnership, which is another significant step toward achieving carbon neutrality in Occitanie,” Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie region, concluded.