Air Liquide has announced plans to establish a renewable hydrogen production unit at TotalEnergies’ La Mède biorefinery in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, France. The project, part of a long-term contract, will meet the biorefinery’s hydrogen requirements and foster the development of a renewable hydrogen ecosystem in the Fos-sur-Mer industrial basin.
Under the agreement, Air Liquide will build, own, and operate the hydrogen production unit, with an annual capacity of 25,000 tonnes. Unlike traditional hydrogen production, this facility will use recycled biogenic by-products from TotalEnergies’ operations as feedstock, replacing fossil hydrocarbons.
The renewable hydrogen generated will primarily support the biorefinery’s production of biofuels and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Scheduled to be operational by 2028, the project represents an investment of €80 million and is expected to cut CO₂ emissions by approximately 130,000 tonnes per year, contributing significantly to the decarbonisation of the La Mède site.
This initiative marks a significant step in Air Liquide’s efforts to decarbonize its hydrogen network in the Fos-sur-Mer region. The company’s longstanding presence in the area includes air separation units, a hydrogen production facility, and Europe’s first high-pressure hydrogen station for long-distance trucks.
Air Liquide and TotalEnergies are deepening their collaboration on renewable energy and decarbonisation. This project follows their Grandpuits circular economy initiative and a memorandum of understanding to supply renewable hydrogen to TotalEnergies’ Gonfreville refinery from the Normand’Hy electrolyser.
Emilie Mouren-Renouard, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, notably supervising the Group’s operations in Europe said, “We are proud to support TotalEnergies in its project to decarbonise the La Mède biorefinery, thanks to our strategic positioning in the Fos-sur-Mer basin. Two years after the announcement of the circular economy project in Grandpuits, and following on from our memorandum of understanding to supply TotalEnergies’ Gonfreville refinery with renewable hydrogen from the Air Liquide Normand’Hy electrolyser, we are continuing our partnership with TotalEnergies to serve the energy transition through the implementation of our decarbonization solutions.”