French renewable power company Qair has secured EUR 55 million to move forward with a major green hydrogen project in southern France. The funding, provided by Credit Agricole and Bpifrance, will support the construction of a new production plant and a network of refuelling stations, reports Renewables Now.
The initiative, named Hyd’Occ H2, is a joint project between Qair and the regional energy transition agency, Arec Occitanie. The plan involves building a hydrogen production plant in Port-La Nouvelle, which will be complemented by five new refuelling stations along key regional transport routes.
The companies announced that the first production unit is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2025. The initial phase of the plant will have the capacity to produce 2,700 tonnes of renewable hydrogen each year. A planned second phase will double this output to 5,400 tonnes annually.
To ensure the project’s success, agreements are already in place to sell more than 1,500 tonnes of the hydrogen produced each year to partners including Plug Power and Hydromer.
The hydrogen will fuel a new regional transport network. This includes stations in Narbonne and Beziers, which are part of a larger European clean transport route, the “Corridor H2,” that will link Spain and Portugal to Northern Europe. The project receives backing from the Occitanie Region, the European Investment Bank, and the European Union.
