Air Liquide has announced a €50 million ($52 million) investment to develop a new hydrogen packaging and delivery supply chain aimed at supporting refueling stations along the Seine Axis. This strategic move is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance its low-carbon hydrogen ecosystem in the Normandy industrial basin, with a focus on accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility in the Normandy and Île-de-France regions.
The new hydrogen packaging site will be powered by renewable hydrogen from Air Liquide’s Normand’Hy electrolyser, a 200 MW facility currently under construction. This investment is expected to play a crucial role in decarbonising transportation and industrial operations in the region. It will address the growing demand for hydrogen-powered vehicles along the Seine Axis, which spans from Le Havre to Île-de-France, fostering sustainable mobility solutions.
Air Liquide’s supply chain will cater to various forms of hydrogen mobility. Intensive applications, such as hydrogen taxis, are projected to triple in number between 2023 and the end of 2024. The initiative will also support corporate fleets of light utility vehicles and heavy vehicles, including hydrogen-powered buses and trucks. Approximately 25% of the Normand’Hy electrolyser’s capacity will be allocated to decarbonised transportation, equivalent to the energy needs of 500 hydrogen trucks or 10,000 light vehicles. A portion of this capacity has already been committed under a supply agreement with HysetCo’s fleet of vehicles.
The remaining three-quarters of the electrolyser’s production capacity will supply renewable and low-carbon hydrogen to industrial clients in the Normandy basin, including the TotalEnergies refinery in Gonfreville. This aligns with Air Liquide’s broader strategy to decarbonise industrial processes. The company’s existing hydrogen network in Normandy includes two production units, one at the Gonfreville refinery and another at Port-Jérôme. The latter facility has been equipped with the Cryocap CO₂ capture system since 2015, further strengthening Air Liquide’s low-carbon initiatives.
By bridging production, packaging, and delivery, the company aims to support the decarbonisation of key sectors while accelerating the energy transition in Normandy and beyond.
Emilie Mouren-Renouard, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, notably supervising the Group’s operations in Europe said, “Leveraging the capacities of the future Air Liquide Normand’Hy electrolyser, this investment in the renewable hydrogen supply chain constitutes a concrete and decisive step forward in favor of low-carbon transportation around the Seine Axis. It reinforces Air Liquide’s positioning across the entire renewable and low-carbon hydrogen value chain, a key component of the energy transition, from production to packaging and transportation to delivery points. With this new project, the Group confirms its commitment to fostering ecosystems that contribute to the transition towards a low-carbon society.”
