Hydrogen: Atlantic France stands out as being the most innovative region in France!

Industry, buildings, transport… Hydrogen is the energy of the future that will enable many sectors of our economy to be decarbonised, and its revolution is already underway in Atlantic France. Many projects using renewable or low-carbon hydrogen energy are emerging in the region thanks to the collective dynamism of the sector’s players and the ambition of the Regional Council, which is mobilising 100 million euros to help develop the sector. The objective? To position itself as a pioneering region in France.

Atlantic France: the new hydrogen Eldorado

From public authorities, innovative companies, startups, and research laboratories, to top universities, competitiveness clusters and unique technological platforms: Atlantic France has an excellent territorial ecosystem for developing technological projects in favour of the many uses of hydrogen and at the service of a positive energy transition.

The synergy of all these players and skills is driving the regional renewable and low-carbon hydrogen sector towards excellence, and is demonstrating expertise in the technical, industrial and economic development of this energy, which is a real accelerator for carbon neutrality.

In Atlantic France:

• A hydrogen production and distribution network is being developed
• The use of hydrogen in ships, trains, buses, trucks and public transport is being promoted
• Hydrogen research programmes, supported by clusters and centres of excellence in the fields of marine energy, aeronautics and mobility, are being deployed.

Key figures

• 2 offshore wind farms: the Sem-Rev offshore test site and the first French offshore wind farm, which was commissioned in Saint-Nazaire in 2022
• More than 100 competencies specialised in hydrogen
• 15 expert laboratories supporting the hydrogen sector
• More than 130 hydrogen projects initiated in Atlantic France across the entire value chain

A mature regional hydrogen sector

As proof of its dynamism, the Atlantic France sector intends to stay one step ahead and is accelerating its structuring with the creation of 3 major territorial ecosystems which are essential for developing the availability of hydrogen throughout the region.

1. H2 Ouest is a pioneering operational ecosystem which was developed in the Vendée, under the impetus of Sydev (the Vendée departmental energy and equipment association) and Lhyfe, a renewable hydrogen producer, with many other players from Atlantic France. Its aim is to produce renewable and sustainable hydrogen and to provide innovative solutions to other sites.
2. Vhygo is a multiregional ecosystem selected by Ademe (the French agency for ecological transition) in 2021 as the basis for the large-scale deployment of renewable hydrogen in Western France. Directly linked to wind turbines, it will enable the development of a new renewable hydrogen production site in Loire-Atlantique.
3. H2 Loire Vallée (H2LV) aims to contribute to the development of hydrogen in the industrial and port sectors, integrating the entire value chain, from the creation of the molecule to its use along the estuary. This sector is suitable for multiple uses of mobility on land transport, port activities, and river and sea transport.

HyVolution 2023: the unmissable event for hydrogen players in France and Europe

Come and meet us at HyVolution 2023 on the 1st and 2nd of February 2023 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. You will find us at the Atlantic France regional pavilion, on stands 6A40 & 6B38. We will be there alongside a dozen regional players:

• ARTIS SAS: a company specialising in the design and manufacturing of industrial piping systems and fluid transport pipes.
• BCV Technologies: manufacturer of low and medium-voltage transformers and reactors.
• CIAM – Europe Technologies: a company specialising in the development and integration of hydrogen propulsion and storage systems for marine and river transport.
• EDEIS Ingénierie: assists hydrogen project leaders with the design and construction of their industrial buildings and infrastructure.
• FARWIND ENERGY: designs, develops, markets, and operates solutions for the conversion, storage, and delivery of wind energy at sea.
• FÉTIS Group: offers the integration of propulsion systems and onboard energy.
• KOHLER: has developed a range of power converters and has customised energy management systems to connect renewable energy to the grid.
• QAIROS ENERGIES: production of renewable hydrogen through the gasification of agricultural biomass.
• SOFRESID: global engineering for energy infrastructure projects and decarbonisation.

FURTHER INFO