Lhyfe and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) have emerged as the winners of a call for proposals initiated by the town of Bussy-Saint-Georges in partnership with various public entities. This collaborative venture aims to establish a green hydrogen fuel chain in the Seine-et-Marne region, marking a promising shift towards sustainable mobility and job creation.
For the town of Bussy-Saint-Georges, this project holds a threefold purpose. Firstly, it aims to decarbonize local mobility, reducing the environmental footprint of transportation. Secondly, the initiative seeks to attract hydrogen industry players to the region, leading to job creation and economic development. Lastly, the project aspires to provide training opportunities in hydrogen-related professions, contributing to a skilled workforce in the clean energy sector.
The winning consortium consists of Lhyfe, a green and renewable hydrogen producer, and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA), a transport energy distributor. Their combined efforts will see the creation of a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem that revolves around the production, distribution, and application of green hydrogen.
Lhyfe will be responsible for establishing a green and renewable hydrogen production facility with a substantial capacity of two tonnes per day (equivalent to 5 MW of installed capacity). Meanwhile, Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) will focus on setting up a multi-energy filling station in the Bussy-Saint-Georges area. Both facilities are scheduled for deployment by 2026.
The hydrogen produced by Lhyfe will cater primarily to the needs of mobility providers in the Paris region, especially those operating on major transit routes such as the A4 motorway. This includes trucks, commercial vehicles, buses, coaches, and even pusher boats on the Seine. The hydrogen will also serve various industrial companies.
This integrated ecosystem will play a crucial role in supporting the energy transition of transport providers, particularly in light of Low Emission Zones (LEZs) that necessitate greener mobility options. The adoption of green hydrogen will contribute to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an improvement in air quality within the Greater Paris (Ile de France) region.
Moreover, besides supplying industrial sites directly via pipelines, Lhyfe will have the capacity to deliver hydrogen in bulk, using containers, throughout Greater Paris. This broader distribution network will not only support the growth of the hydrogen fuel chain across the region but will also help meet the challenges of decarbonization in Greater Paris.
Lhyfe employs a novel method for green and renewable hydrogen production. They use electrolysis of water at production units powered exclusively by renewable energy sources. Their first production site commenced operations in the latter half of 2021, with seven additional sites currently under construction throughout Europe, including France, Germany, and Sweden. In addition to their terrestrial efforts, Lhyfe is also venturing into offshore hydrogen production, with their Sealhyfe plant achieving a world-first in June 2023 by producing hydrogen at sea off the coast of Le Croisic, in Loire-Atlantique.
In this project, Lhyfe’s production site will supply the Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) multi-energy fuel station, aligning with the goal of creating a comprehensive mobility solution centered around alternative fuels.
Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) plans to develop a multi-energy hub on an 8,500 square-meter site, designed as part of an overarching urban development plan led by Bussy-Saint-Georges. This hub will provide access to a range of alternative fuels for various mobility applications.
Regarding hydrogen, the station will offer fueling services for both light and heavy vehicles at pressures of 350 bar and 700 bar. The station is designed to potentially dispense over a tonne of green hydrogen daily, positioning Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) as a significant player in the hydrogen market in France. The multi-energy hub will also incorporate high-power electric charging points, reaching 350 kW, catering to both light and heavy vehicles.
In addition to hydrogen and electric charging services, Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) will supply natural gas for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) at the same site. Furthermore, the company is prepared to offer XTL-HVO, a second-generation biofuel, at the pump, as soon as regulations permit.
As part of their commitment to this project, Lhyfe and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) submitted a joint application for subsidies through ADEME’s Hydrogen Territorial Ecosystems program in September 2023. This initiative unites various stakeholders in the mobility sector to support the project’s objectives.
