TRIG to provide renewable electricity for hydrogen project in Port-La Nouvelle

The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG), a renewable energy infrastructure investment company, has entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply Hyd’Occ, a green hydrogen facility in Port-la Nouvelle, France, with renewable electricity from its onshore wind farms located in the Occitanie region.

Hyd’Occ is backed by Qair, a renewable energy and hydrogen producer, as the primary shareholder and developer, and AREC Occitanie, the regional agency for energy transition (held by the Occitanie administrative region), as a minority shareholder.

As informed, the green hydrogen production unit is currently under construction and is due to be commissioned in 2025. Guirec Dufour, Managing Director of Qair France, said that once operational, the production unit will be capable of producing 3,000 tons of renewable hydrogen annually.

Nel Hydrogen Electrolyzer, a subsidiary of Nel ASA, performed and delivered the front-end engineering and design (FEED) study on the project. Furthermore, Nel was contracted to supply 20 MW of alkaline electrolyzer equipment for about €9 million for the facility.

Commenting on the PPA deal, Minesh Shah, Managing Director for TRIG, stated: “Entering into attractive Power Purchase Agreements is an important part of TRIG’s revenue management strategy. Supplying projects such as Hyd’Occ with locally-generated, renewable electricity is another step towards our ambition of a cleaner, more secure future.”

To note, Port-La-Nouvelle, where the Hyd’Occ project is located, is expected to be a significant hub for hydrogen flows in the Mediterranean.

In late 2024, it was announced that a consortium of partners was looking to establish an essential hub for low-carbon hydrogen and CO2 management in that region. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Occitanie Region, DEME Concessions, Euroports and Teréga.

As disclosed, the partnership aims to develop port and logistics infrastructures dedicated to the future flows of clean molecules. The development will, reportedly, transform the port of Port-La-Nouvelle into a platform for the import and export of hydrogen, CO2 and low-carbon by-products.