Market Info

Normandy: a leading French region for hydrogen production and mobility

France has engaged in a massive plan to become a leading player in the green hydrogen field, with €7 billion to support all the green hydrogen sector actors. According to this plan, three main objectives are to be reached by 2030: to achieve mass-production of H2 by electrolysis; to promote carbon-free H2 fueled heavy mobility; to develop a fully integrated and competitive sector with 50 to 150k jobs. Therefore, France welcomes all companies involved in the fight against environmental impacts and emphasizes developing green hydrogen. Among the industrial sites ready for the production and use of hydrogen in France, Normandy is a region full of potential, especially for the Nordic countries. Indeed, its location, industrial assets, and will to transition to greener energy make it a ready-to-invest place.

Normandy, a strategic territory to produce hydrogen

Normandy, as its name shows, is one of the most Northern regions of France. Its location makes it a strategic place to invest in and access the European market, especially the Nordic countries. Indeed, the region is located between London and Paris, with direct access to the 650km long most-used maritime route: the English Channel.

Normandy counts 2 major seaports: Le Havre and Rouen, and 3 regional ports: Dieppe, Caen Ouistreham and Cherbourg. Located along the Seine axis, Normandy is a logistic region that sees a large flow of goods and passengers from France and abroad.
Already engaged in the environmental transition, Normandy is a maritime region that hosts France’s leading potential for renewable marine energy. Normandy is a pioneer in the development of the hydrogen sector. Nearly one-third of national hydrogen consumption is in Normandy, particularly in the petrochemical sector and at the Ariane Group test site.

Moreover, the region can count on historical skills linked to the production, consumption, and handling of hydrogen. The territory combines all the assets and favorable conditions for the emergence of new projects and the development of new uses: more than 30 hydrogen projects have been launched in Normandy since 2016.

Indeed, the region benefits from committed and determined public bodies:

19 local authorities and three departmental energy unions are involved in making Normandy a leader in the hydrogen sector;
15 research structures with expertise in energy, propulsion, environment, and sociology;
An active competitiveness cluster linked to the hydrogen sector (NextMove).

Learn more about Normandy’s actions and business opportunities to develop green hydrogen on May 11th, from 11.00-12.30. Business France Nordic will host a webinar on the regional approaches to the French hydrogen strategy 2020-2030.

Normandy: a strategic location between London and Paris
(credit – AD Normandie)

Normandy, a committed region for hydrogen-based mobility in Europe

Co-pilot of the European partnership of Regions “Hydrogen Valleys”, the Normandy Region coordinates a European interregional partnership dedicated to hydrogen, the “European Hydrogen Valleys Partnership“. Launched in May 2019, it brings together forty European regions, including the Sorg og Fjordane region in Norway, Gävleborg’s Region in Sweden, and Nordjylland in Denmark.
This industrial modernization partnership aims to:

Organize collaborative work between the member regions to facilitate the setting up of joint projects in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells.
Make Normandy a privileged interlocutor of the European institutions to influence future calls for projects and ensure the effective deployment of relevant technologies to implement the energy transition in the territories.

A total of 20 local authorities and 27 companies are involved in this project. To date, some forty-light hydrogen vehicles are already in circulation in Normandy. This fleet will be extended to 90 cars in the next few months. This project has also led to the first bi-pressure hydrogen station in Normandy (350/700 bars), in Evreux. The city recently acquired a multi-energy station, which prefigures the future of mobility in the region.

Normandy, the gateway to European hydrogen markets

On July 8th, 2020, the European Commission launched the Clean Hydrogen Alliance, the centerpiece of the European Hydrogen Strategy, which brings together industries, national and local public authorities, civil society, and other stakeholders. Since then, Normandy is involved in the mobility and industry panels through its role as co-pilot of the European partnership of H2 Valleys Regions.

The “Hydrogen Valleys” partnership will be an integral part of the European Alliance for Clean Hydrogen. The Alliance aims at an ambitious deployment of hydrogen technologies by 2030, bringing together renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, demand in industry, mobility and other sectors, and hydrogen transmission and distribution. The strategy sets out how the EU intends to make clean hydrogen a viable solution for different decarbonizing industries, in line with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target. The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance will involve all stakeholders in the hydrogen value chain (industry, national and regional authorities, NGOs) to build a European clean hydrogen ecosystem. One of the main challenges will be to mobilize the public and private investments needed to achieve this ambition.

Normandy: gateway to the European market (credit – AD Normandie)