France launches hydrogen council, 3.2 GW of electrolyzer projects seek IPCEI funding

France's national hydrogen council has presented initial plans for 3.2 GW of large-scale electrolysis capacity to key ministers, the council said Feb. 25.

The projects, which require some Eur8 billion of investment, could begin to benefit by end-2021 from funding under the EU's Important Projects of Common European Interest, or IPCEI, program, it said.

The statement did not mention specific proposals.

Air Liquide and Siemens Energy have announced a funding application for a 200 MW electrolyzer at the Port Jerome-sur-Seine chemical facility.

Related story: Germany receives 200 hydrogen project applications in IPCEI call

The government-appointed council including CEOs from EDF, Engie and other stakeholders met with energy minister Barbara Pompili and economy minister Bruno Le Maire noting strong momentum in hydrogen set to continue in the coming months.

Air Liquide CEO Benoit Potier presented the Hydrogen Council's recent report on global developments.

Further measures by the French government outlined in the statement include a Eur300 million investment plan for 14 hydrogen trains across four regions, and Eur136 million investment plan for seven electrolysis projects tied to the transport sector.

Meanwhile, SAFRA was awarded support for retrofitting and production of 140 Businova hydrogen-fueled buses/year.

France's hydrogen strategy approved last September set a 2030 target for 6.5 GW of electrolyzer capacity supported by Eur7 billion ($8.4 billion) of funding.

The government approved interim hydrogen regulation Feb. 17 providing clear terminology for the various types of hydrogen.

Other than renewable or green hydrogen, France has a classification for low-carbon hydrogen derived from electricity from the nuclear-heavy French grid.

France currently uses some 900,000 mt of hydrogen mainly in refineries and the chemical sector, emitting some 9 million mt of CO2/year.

The strategy plans to save some 6 million mt of CO2/year by 2030, the equivalent of the annual emissions of the city of Paris, it said.

S&P Global Platts assessed the price of green hydrogen (Netherlands, alkaline electrolysis including capex) at Eur3.24/kg on Feb. 24 compared with Eur1.53/kg for conventional hydrogen (SMR without CCS including carbon and capex).