Lhyfe and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) to Build a Green and Renewable Hydrogen Production Site and a Multi-Energy Filling Station in Bussy-Saint-Georges (Greater Paris)

October 27, 2023

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(Lhyfe) • This site will be the biggest green and renewable hydrogen production site in eastern Ile de France (production capacity of two tonnes per day and installed capacity of 5MW) and the first in the region to offer hydrogen delivery in containers.

It will also supply the Avia fuel station operated by Thevenin & Ducrot, as well as an industrial operator, directly via pipeline.
This production and distribution of green and renewable hydrogen on the doorstep of Paris will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the implementation of the Greater Paris Low-Emissions Zone (LEZ).
Both the production site and filling station are due to be commissioned in 2026.

In 2022, the town of Bussy-Saint-Georges decided to launch reflections on the development of a territorial hydrogen ecosystem. Following the conclusive results of the opportunity study, the town brought together several partners for this project: EpaMarne (the public planning body for Marne-la-Vallée), the Urban Community of Marne-et-Gondoire, the Department of Seine-et-Marne, SDESM (the energy authority for Seine-et-Marne) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) for Seine-et-Marne.

For Bussy-Saint-Georges, the aim of this project is threefold: to decarbonise local mobility, create jobs by attracting hydrogen industry players to the region, and foster training in hydrogen-related professions.

To create this hydrogen ecosystem, the public partners launched a call for proposals in early 2023. The call was won by the consortium composed of Lhyfe and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA).

Lhyfe will develop a green and renewable hydrogen production site with a production capacity of two tonnes a day (5 MW of installed capacity) whilst Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) will create a multi-energy filling station in the Bussy-Saint-Georges area. Both facilities are planned for deployment in 2026.

The green and renewable hydrogen produced by Lhyfe will cater chiefly for the needs of mobility players in the Paris region or those using major transit routes such as the A4 motorway (e.g. trucks, commercial vehicles, buses and coaches, pusher boats on the Seine, etc.), as well as a number of industrial companies.

This ecosystem will support the energy transition of transport providers, which has become necessary due to the implementation of LEZs, and will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in the Greater Paris (Ile de France) region.

As well as supplying an industrial site directly via pipeline, Lhyfe will be able to deliver hydrogen in bulk, in containers, throughout Greater Paris. In doing so, it will support the growth of the hydrogen fuel chain region-wide and help to meet the challenges of decarbonisation in Greater Paris.

Lhyfe produces green and renewable hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, at production units powered by renewable energy. The company’s first site has already been in operation since the latter half of 2021, and seven other sites are currently in construction throughout Europe (France, Germany and Sweden). In parallel, Lhyfe is working on offshore hydrogen production projects – its Sealhyfe plant achieved a world first, in June 2023, when it began producing hydrogen at sea, off Le Croisic, in Loire-Atlantique.

Under the project, Lhyfe’s production site will supply the Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) multi-energy fuel station.

This multi-energy hub, which will be created on 8,500 sq. metres of land, is part of a comprehensive planning scheme being led by Bussy-Saint-Georges, and will offer all alternative fuels for mobility.

Where hydrogen is concerned, the station will supply light and heavy vehicles, coaches and buses, at 350 bar and 700 bar. Ultimately, it could dispense over a tonne of green hydrogen a day. With this project, Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) is positioning itself as a major hydrogen player in France, strengthening its network of multi-energy stations and supporting its clients even more in their energy transition.

High-power electric charging points (350kW) will also be available for light vehicles, as well as for heavy vehicles, which are gradually coming onto the market.

Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) will also supply natural gas for NGVs at the same site, and is standing by to offer XTL-HVO – a second-generation biofuel – at the pump, as soon as regulations allow it.

Under the project, Lhyfe and Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA) submitted a joint application for subsidies to ADEME’s Hydrogen Territorial Ecosystems programme in September 2023, bringing together a number of mobility stakeholders to support the project.

Yann Dubosc, Mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges, Chairman of the Board of Directors of EPA Marne, and representative for the group behind the call for proposals, said: “Bussy-Saint-Georges is an unusual and innovative town that is firmly in keeping with the 21st century, in setting an example in the fight against global warming. We want to take part in decarbonising mobility by becoming the hydrogen city of eastern Ile de France. We are delighted to start the concrete implementation of this project, which is helping to define the new face of energy in Seine-et-Marne. We are now going to support mobility players to develop all uses suitable for hydrogen conversion

Laurent Girometti, Managing Director of EpaMarne-EpaFrance, commented: “As a developer, we are proud to support the development of local areas by putting innovation at the service of sustainable cities. The decarbonisation of mobility, with the production of green and renewable hydrogen, makes a major contribution to achieving a low-carbon city.”

Nicolas Ducrot, Managing Director of Thevenin Ducrot Distribution, said: “This multi-energy hub with a hydrogen refuelling station for mobility allows Thevenin Ducrot to support its clients with energy transition by offering the full range of existing solutions at one site. The Bussy ecosystem is ideally located for our private and commercial customers and our strategic partnership with Lhyfe along with the strong local support from the authorities make this project the perfect showcase for our alternative energy ambitions.”

Ghislain Robert, Sales Director for France at Lhyfe, said: “We are delighted to announce this first project in the Ile de France region, which needs every resource possible to accelerate energy transition. We are contributing to this with green and renewable hydrogen, which is locally produced and used, to offer a better quality of life to the people of Greater Paris.

About Lhyfe

Lhyfe is a European group dedicated to the energy transition, producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Its production plants and upcoming projects are designed to provide green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities and form part of a virtuous energy model allowing the decarbonisation of entire sectors of industry and mobility.

In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the world’s first industrial green hydrogen production site in direct connection with a windfarm. Based on its solid business pipeline, Lhyfe aims to have more than 3 GW of installed capacity by 2030.

In 2022, Lhyfe inaugurated the world’s first offshore green hydrogen production pilot system. The company could have around 3 GW of additional offshore installed capacity by 2030-2035.

Lhyfe operates in 11 European countries and had 150 employees at the end of 2022. The company is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (ISIN: FR0014009YQ1 – mnemo: LHYFE).

For more information go to www.lhyfe.com

About Thevenin & Ducrot (AVIA)

AVIA is the second largest petrol station network in France. Thevenin & Ducrot, an independent, family-owned French company, operates over 500 filling stations in eastern France, including 50 service stations on French motorways. With over 90 years in the industry, Thevenin & Ducrot is continuing its traditional business as a fuel and heating oil distributor, while actively preparing for energy transition, for example with EVCI, hydrogen and photovoltaic power generation.

https://www.thevenin-ducrot.fr/

About Bussy-Saint-Georges:

Bussy-Saint-Georges is a town in the Seine-et-Marne department (77), in the Ile de France region, east of Paris and south of the Seine. It belongs to the area of Marne-la-Vallée area, which was a national interest planning project, and the inter-municipal Urban Community of Marne-et-Gondoire. As logistics contribute heavily to the local economy, the decarbonisation of heavy mobility as part of the phasing in of the Greater Paris LEZ (Low Emissions Zone) is a primary issue for local elected officials.

About SDESM:

SDESM (Syndicat Départemental des Energies de Seine-et-Marne) is the main organising authority for energy distribution in the Department. It accompanies its member municipalities on all matters related to energy transition. Since 2015, SDESM has deployed and been operating some 182 charging terminals for electric vehicles and will continue deployment with 156 new terminals in the coming years. In 2017, SDESM also created SDESM ENERGIES, a semi-public company, to develop, invest in and/or operate means of renewable energy generation. SDESM ENERGIES has already invested in several photovoltaic solar power plants and BioNGV refuelling stations, and is currently developing more than 40 MWp of new solar capacity in Seine-et-Marne.

About the Conseil Départemental de Seine-et-Marne

As the largest department in Ile-de-France, the Seine-et-Marne area is well-equipped for the development of hydrogen and, more generally, alternative energies contributing to the decarbonisation of local industry and mobility. Since 2021, the Departmental Council has made this ambition a strong focus of its environmental policy, by committing, on the one hand, to the development of local green gas production with agricultural methanisation – via the management and coordination of the CapMétha77 Charter and the development of a departmental bioNGV station development plan – and, on the other hand, to the emergence of a local hydrogen fuel chain through a prospective study and support for the various projects concerning the area.

About EpaMarne:

EpaMarne is a leading public developer in eastern Paris, historically linked to the new town of Marne-la-Vallée. It is involved in the production of new housing and contributes to the development of economic activities by providing concrete responses to ecological and social challenges, as well as to changes in residents’ lifestyles.

EpaMarne is involved in the deployment of this HUB -Hydrogen project, a vector for sustainable development in the region and local employment READ MORE