Air Liquide and Total Energies to Invest Over $1 Billion in European Hydrogen Projects

Paris, France – French companies Air Liquide and TotalEnergies have jointly invested €1 billion ($1.05 billion) to construct two big-scale, low-carbon hydrogen facilities in the Netherlands. The initiative is targeted at enabling Europe to switch to clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, particularly in industrial and heavy mobility use.

The Dutch investment includes a 200-megawatt (MW) Air Liquide-owned and operated hydrogen production plant in Rotterdam and a 250 MW Zeeland province electrolyzer project owned by a new 50:50 joint venture company established between the two. The two ventures combined will reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by up to 500,000 tonnes annually.

Rotterdam Hydrogen Plant
Air Liquide will build and run the 200 MW Rotterdam hydrogen factory, which should generate up to 23,000 tonnes of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen per year. The hydrogen will be transported to TotalEnergies' industrial facilities through Air Liquide's pipeline network and will also be available for Belgium and Netherlands-based industrial and mobility customers.

The plant will be powered by wind energy from the offshore wind resources of TotalEnergies' holding in the OranjeWind wind farm and by a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Vattenfall's Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm. The project was funded by the European Union's Innovation Fund and the Dutch Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) program. Subject to approval of subsidy and regulation, the Rotterdam facility is expected to commence commercial production by the fourth quarter of 2027.

Zeeland Electrolyzer Project
Air Liquide and TotalEnergies will build a 250 MW electrolyzer to produce hydrogen jointly in Zeeland province, powered exclusively by renewable electricity from OranjeWind. The facility is expected to deliver up to 30,000 tonnes of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen per year. The project is expected to be delivered by 2029, subject to final investment decisions and necessary authorizations.

The Zeeland plant will use electrolyzer technology that has been developed with Siemens Energy's collaboration with Air Liquide. The collaboration is one of the larger projects designed to enhance Europe's low-carbon hydrogen production and enable the transition away from fossil fuels.

Commitment to Decarbonization
The hydrogen projects complement TotalEnergies' overall vision to decarbonize its European refineries by 2030. There are already five low-carbon hydrogen production facilities in Europe, and Air Liquide is expanding its hydrogen business towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

These projects are part of the European Union's initiative to increase hydrogen production as part of its Green Deal and net-zero ambitions. Through investment in high-volume hydrogen production, Air Liquide and TotalEnergies aim to contribute to a more energy-independent, greener Europe as well as support industries in greening their footprint.

Source: Reuters