According to France Hydrogen, the industry’s most ambitious scenario for the growth of decarbonated hydrogen production capacity in France should be followed, with more than 250 projects identified and 225 hydrogen charging stations by 2025.
According to a trajectory study released by the association on the eve of a morning of conferences, “The projects identified total a renewable and low-carbon hydrogen consumption of about 1.07 million tons per year by 2030 in France, volumes higher than those of the National Hydrogen Strategy objectives and similar to those of the Ambition+ 2030′′ scenario.
The majority of the projects are focused on industrial hydrogen use (815,000 tons), which is much more prevalent than its use in transportation (230,000 tons) or to serve consumers who are not connected to the power grid and require a backup energy system or in remote locations (25,000 tons).
70% of the projects are less than 3 MW, with the exception of 24 installations that concentrate 80% of the hydrogen quantities.
The implementation phase is now, at least, where we need to focus our efforts, according to Philippe Boucly, president of France Hydrogène.
According to Mr. Boucly, the industry anticipates “the shape of a first national network” of 225 hydrogen charging stations in the mobility sector by 2025. He added that different research, which is now being conducted, “speaks of 800 to 1,000 hydrogen charging stations by 2030 for light passenger and commercial vehicles, and especially for big vehicles.”
There are roughly 400 hydrogen-powered automobiles on the road in France. By 2030, we want to reach 450,000,” Boucly stated.
There are many ways to make hydrogen, including using biomass. According to the report, creating 1 million tons of hydrogen in 2030 will require more than 50 TWh, or 10% of the entire energy consumption anticipated at that time by the network management RTE. Nevertheless, water electrolysis is “quite universally favored by the companies in the industry.”
Roland Lescure, the industry minister, who was there on Wednesday, remembered that the Elysée had given the administration six months to develop a plan for the regulatory environment and access to public subsidies on November 8.
According to the executive branch, hydrogen technology is essential for lowering industrial greenhouse gas emissions. The industry is requesting administrative simplifications, more storage space, and the elimination of environmental assessments for production below a particular level.
The minister stated that in order to provide the most competitive hydrogen to industry, one must think in terms of economies of scale. He also assured that he was worried about making sure that large electrolyzers could engage in competitive long-term contracts, notably with EDF.
