Lhyfe has annouced that the French Prime Minister has officially confirmed, by signature, a €149m grant for its future green hydrogen production plant located near the Grand Canal of Le Havre.
With this large-scale project, Lhyfe will pass the 100MW milestone in installed electrolysis capacity.
From the Green Horizon project Lhyfe intends to produce up to 34 tonnes of green hydrogen per day near the Grand Canal du Havre (Normandy), one of Europe’s largest industrial port areas.
The project was selected in 2022 by the European Commission as part of the third wave of IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) dedicated to hydrogen.
In March 2024, the French government announced its decision to award this grant to Lhyfe, through Roland Lescure, the then Minister Delegate for Industry and Energy, during a visit to Le Havre.
The contract signed with Bpifrance outlines the terms of implementation for the public funding.
Lhyfe will receive an initial advance of €18m by June 2025, enabling it to cover investments already made since 2022 and to launch the next stages.
A second tranche will be released in the following months based on the achievement of milestones specified in the contract.
Subsequent payments will take the form of reimbursements for eligible and duly justified expenses, contingent upon the successful completion of predefined annual milestones, over a four-year period and up to a maximum total amount of €149m.
The plant will be located near the Yara site in Le Havre, whose decarbonisation roadmap includes the use of green hydrogen.
The Lhyfe production site, to be located on a 2.8-hectare plot of land in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, is expected to be completed by 2029.
This project has been selected by the French government as part of the call for expressions of interest on hydrogen carried out in France in 2021, integrated into the third wave of IPCEI on hydrogen in 2022 and validated by the European Commission in February 2024.
IPCEI are transnational projects identified as strategic by the European Union.
For this project, Lhyfe has already submitted the building permit and the environmental authorisation request.
Grid connection and availability of the necessary power have been secured.