Total and Engie have signed a cooperation agreement to design, develop, build and operate what is being billed as the largest renewable hydrogen production site in France.
The Masshylia project, in Châteauneuf-les-Martigues in the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, will be located at the heart of Total’s biorefinery in La Mède.
Powered by solar farms with a total capacity of more than 100MW, the 40MW electrolyser is expected to produce five tonnes of green hydrogen per day.
This will meet the needs of the production of biofuels from the Total biorefinery in La Mède, avoiding 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
The production and storage of hydrogen is being implemented to manage the intermittent production of solar electricity and the need for continuous supply of the biorefinery.
It will feature a digital control system for the continuous supply of hydrogen with real-time management of solar electricity production.
The two partners aim to start construction of the facilities in 2022, following the completion of the advanced engineering study.
They hope to start production in 2024, subject to the establishment of the necessary financial support and public authorisations.
To this end, the project has already submitted grant applications to the French (AMI) and European (IPCEI, Innovation Fund) authorities.
Beyond this first phase, new renewable farms could be developed by the partners for the electrolyser, which has the capacity to produce up to 15 tonnes of green hydrogen per day, according to the companies.
Total president for gas, renewables and power Philippe Sauquet said: “Innovation and sustainability are at the heart of this common project.
“As our commitment to the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance demonstrates, we believe in the future of renewable hydrogen, and we are working with our partner Engie to make it happen.
“This renewable hydrogen production facility, associated with our expertise in solar energy, is a new step in our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“The association of two large French energy companies will make it possible to develop the hydrogen sector and to become its leaders thanks to this common, industrial and reproducible project on an international scale.”
Engie deputy managing director in charge of renewable energies Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet added: “The Masshylia project demonstrates Engie’s ability to meet the challenges of energy transition by developing innovative carbon-neutral solutions.
“The partnership between Engie and Total, through its scope and its very ambitious integrated approach, embodies Engie’s renewable hydrogen development strategy to reduce our customers’ CO2 footprint.
“It also paves the way for a multi-purpose renewable hydrogen ‘Hub’ in the near future, firmly anchored in the region and with international reach.”