AAt the current rate of declared projects, the objective of the national hydrogen strategy set at 6,500 MW of production in France by 2030 could be reached or even exceeded. The estimated production potential is, in terms of tonnage, on the trajectory of the Ambition+ scenario with approximately 1,070,000 tonnes of hydrogen by 2030. Electrolysis is very widely favored by the players in the sector (at more than 95%), but at least ten ecosystem projects are based on the pyrogasification of biomass (with Haffner technology for example), another production technique allowing integration into a circular economy dynamic. Other production methods are currently being researched or demonstrated, such as this interesting initiative for the production of hydrogen by bacteria developed by Athéna Recherche.
This deployment must be accompanied by consideration of land, water and, above all, energy resources.
Land side: distribution stations and production plants need ground surface to set up. For example, a charging station for a fleet of several dozen buses has an average footprint of between 900 and 1200 m2. In addition, the areas needed for the development of the hydrogen sector are regularly found in areas that are already under constraints, sometimes with specific regulations: dense industrial zones, port or airport areas, urban areas, etc. The availability of land is therefore a major constraint for hydrogen sector projects.
Regarding water resources for electrolysis, the water withdrawals and consumption generated by the production of one million tonnes of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen are between 10 and 20 million cubic metres of water. Compared to the total water withdrawal and consumption levels in France, these scenarios represent less than 0.1% of withdrawals and less than 0.2% of water consumption. Such levels are therefore significant, but not particularly massive on the scale of France, as well as that of the energy sector which represents half of total withdrawals and a third of consumption in France. The impact of the hydrogen sector on water stress is therefore not preponderant on a national scale, but territorial and seasonal specificities must be given the greatest attention, particularly for the risks of impact on the hydrogen production supply chain.
Low carbon or green electricity
However, all production methods will be necessary to achieve the objectives set by France and the European Union. But since electrolysis is currently the main source of hydrogen production, it remains to be seen what electrical resource is necessary for this production.
To produce more than one million tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2030, considering that the potential production of more than 1 million tonnes of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen would be mainly by electrolysis, this requires more than 50 TWh of electricity, or 10% of the total electricity consumption forecast by RTE in its reference scenario (M23) for 2030 (500 TWh), which represents a significant share of electricity allocated to hydrogen production. It is therefore necessary to promote the production of hydrogen by electrolysis from the French electricity grid, to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies (RE) but also to support the recovery of biomass and waste in order to diversify the methods of hydrogen production and the necessary inputs. But renewable electricity alone will not be enough, which is why achieving these objectives requires enabling the use of low-carbon electricity, in other words electricity from nuclear sources. As we will see later, this essential aspect requested by France Hydrogène is currently at the heart of the issues of the RED 3 directive and the gas and hydrogen directive.
Source: Let’s talk hydrogen! © France Hydrogène
Recommendations from the sector
The study illustrates the dynamism of the players in the hydrogen sector – manufacturers and territories – and the diversity of approaches adopted within the framework of the projects. The deployment trajectory is in line with the objectives of the national hydrogen strategy with a scenario corresponding to “Ambition+” in 2030. Nevertheless, the projects developed throughout the national territory within the framework of territorial ecosystems and listed in this study are, for many of them, conditioned by the implementation of a completely defined and stabilized legislative and regulatory framework. To achieve the 2030 trajectory, the sector proposes to implement the following recommendations as a priority:
– Secure the supply of primary energy and the conditions for competitive decarbonized hydrogen production.
– Establish a framework conducive to the development of hydrogen uses for road transport. This effort is necessary to address all segments and typologies of uses, meet the challenge of setting up low-emission mobility zones (ZFE-m), in complementarity with battery-powered vehicles; and transform the test of strategic industrial investments made by the State on hydrogen road mobility equipment manufacturers as part of the first wave of IPCEI Hy2Tech. To this end, France Hydrogène will propose in early 2023 a combination of complementary measures aimed at triggering the order of the first 50,000 hydrogen LCVs by the end of 2026. This will involve in particular setting up methods of coordinating public and private orders in a group purchasing approach.
– Accelerate the deployment of renewable energies and sustain low-carbon electricity production capacities. Long-term supply and contracting schemes must be developed to provide visibility, security and ensure competitive hydrogen production.
– Establish an incentive framework to get intermediate-sized hydrogen projects off the ground, both in terms of production (10 to 50 MW) and uses, which are essential and particularly relevant links in the development of hydrogen by basins. This requires, first and foremost, a design of the support mechanism for the production of decarbonized hydrogen that is adapted and does not create a disincentive to investment in this type of project.
– Diversify the production pathways for decarbonized hydrogen to increase the resilience of our system, its capacity to eventually supply primary energy, and its competitiveness. The integration of hydrogen production methods using biomass or waste in the various calls for projects and support mechanisms is essential in this respect, as is the simultaneous development of different models for connecting electrolysers, making it possible to mobilise untapped sources of renewable energy (terrestrial and/or marine).
– Accelerate the planning and construction of hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure, particularly cross-border, in conjunction with the CCUS plan and the planning of the decarbonization of industry through large industrial-port and river zones, announced by the President of the Republic on November 8, 2022.
– Finalize the implementation of the regulatory framework, a major challenge for the start-up of projects and the making of investment decisions.
