Lhyfe (Nantes, France; www.lhyfe.com), a world pioneer in the production of green and renewable hydrogen for mobility and industry, announces that the French Prime Minister has officially confirmed, by signature, a €149 million grant for its future green hydrogen production plant located near the Grand Canal of Le Havre. The facility is expected to reach a capacity of up to 34 tonnes per day. The project was selected in 2022 by the European Commission as part of the third wave of IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) dedicated to hydrogen. In March 2024, the French government announced its decision to award this grant to Lhyfe, through Roland Lescure – then Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy – during a visit to Le Havre.
3D modelling of a Lhyfe green hydrogen production site
The contract signed with Bpifrance outlines the terms of implementation for the public funding. Lhyfe will receive an initial advance of €18m by June 2025, enabling it to cover investments already made since 2022 and to launch the next stages. A second tranche will be released in the following months based on the achievement of milestones specified in the contract. Subsequent payments will take the form of reimbursements for eligible and duly justified expenses, contingent upon the successful completion of predefined annual milestones, over a four-year period and up to a maximum total amount of €149m.
With the Green Horizon project, Lhyfe intends to produce up to 34 tonnes of green hydrogen per day near the Grand Canal du Havre (Normandy), one of Europe’s largest industrial port areas.
This site will supply the region’s needs in terms of decarbonisation of industry and mobility. The plant will be located near the Yara site in Le Havre, whose decarbonisation roadmap includes the use of green hydrogen. Yara is interested in and supports Lhyfe’s project.
The Lhyfe production site, to be located on a 2.8-hectare plot of land in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, is expected to be completed by 2029 and will be one of the first large-scale production sites for decarbonized hydrogen produced by water electrolysis in France and Europe.
Completion of this project will help demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of this solution, which is an essential complement to direct electrification for decarbonising economies, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and meeting the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set out in the Paris Agreement.
This type of pioneering project must be implemented swiftly to pave the way for the larger-scale facilities needed to meet the ambitious targets for installed electrolysis capacity (4.5 GW targeted in France by 2030) and greenhouse gas emission reductions outlined in the French and European hydrogen and decarbonisation strategies.
This project has been selected by the French government as part of the call for expressions of interest on hydrogen carried out in France in 2021, integrated into the third wave of IPCEI on hydrogen in 2022 and validated by the European Commission in February 2024. IPCEI are transnational projects identified as strategic by the European Union.
For this project, Lhyfe has already submitted the building permit and the environmental authorization request. Grid connection and availability of the necessary power have been secured.