A larger-scale project is still expected to strengthen the sector. Air Liquide's Normand'Hy plant in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, in Seine-Maritime, is due, once commissioned, to give new momentum to French and European renewable hydrogen production thanks to a 200 MW electrolyzer. At this stage in France, green hydrogen production accounts for only 1% of total hydrogen production.
France's largest green hydrogen production plant was inaugurated Thursday in Port-la-Nouvelle, in the Aude. Developed by energy company Qair, it is due to operate at full capacity during the first quarter of 2027, the company said.
The facility aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Hydrogen is described as green when it is produced from electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
The plant was built in the commercial port of this seaside resort. Water, pumped from the drinking-water network, is first purified there and stripped of its mineral salts.
Qair, a renewable energy producer present in 22 countries, explained that it chose the Port-la-Nouvelle site because of its proximity to the three wind turbines and the port infrastructure. The plant is powered by three floating wind turbines located a few kilometers offshore in the Mediterranean Sea. Its electrolyzer has a capacity of 20 MW, while France currently has 70 MW.
With its 20 MW, the Port-la-Nouvelle site is for now France's largest plant of its kind, in a sector that remains very small but is expected to expand. It is then converted into gaseous hydrogen and packaged in 200-liter bottles.