Air Liquide relies on hydrogen to decarbonize the economy

During a press meeting, Mathieu Giard, member of the Executive Committee at Air Liquide supervising hydrogen activities, was able to detail the group’s development strategy, both on the challenges of low-carbon production of this gas, and on its storage and distribution issues. The ambition is great for the world leader in gases for industry, which intends to invest 8 billion euros in hydrogen by 2035, i.e. four times the turnover it currently achieves each year in selling this fuel. A project that lives up to its potential, however, since “ 43% of global carbon emissions are affected by the hydrogen revolution “, he specifies, and in very diverse sectors ranging from transport to industry.

Produce in a carbon-free way

Mathieu Giard thus considers that production in Europe is a major environmental challenge for Air Liquide, which intends to reduce its CO2 emissions by a third by 2030 and, since the war in Ukraine, ” an important issue of energy sovereignty “. To succeed in reducing its carbon impact, the company believes that blue hydrogen will respond to the problems of a ” efficient and profitable production “. Production can take place in its industrial basins in Le Havre or Fos-sur-Mer. And CO2 storage solutions are already in place, for example in reservoirs below the North Sea, which can last for tens or even hundreds of years. But, in the future, Air Liquide obviously intends to move towards renewable green hydrogen, by building, by 2025, an electrolyser of at least 200 MW in Normandy (Normand’Hy project).

However, electricity is required upstream, and therefore ” produce enough renewable energy “says Mathieu Giard. This is why Air Liquide is developing partnerships for the construction of wind farms, for example, by committing to buy the electricity once produced. ” Fortunately there is low carbon nuclear » he adds, the ENR not actually being sufficient because « with 300 MW of renewable energy we make 100 MW of hydrogen “, or a low yield. Once produced, the hydrogen must be stored, by the compression of the gas or its liquefaction. The group specifies that liquid hydrogen is 853 times denser than that at ambient pressure and can be transported in large quantities, but a disadvantage is that it remains very costly in terms of energy.

A complete technology, for multiple uses

After having produced its hydrogen, Air Liquide wishes to supply “ very dense, easily transportable and low carbon energy to different sectors. First that of transport, representing a quarter of global emissions. In the air, hydrogen ” could prevail in the regional flights “, explains Mathieu Giard, while synthetic fuels will be more suitable for long haul. As such, the company is taking the lead since it signed a partnership with Aéroports de Paris this week. The objective is to develop infrastructure in airports, for example nearby production sites, but also means of recharging planes with hydrogen. Some manufacturers are already hard at work, such as Airbus, which could manufacture a hydrogen plane as early as 2035.

While 90% of world imports are made by boat, maritime transport will obviously be affected by hydrogen, which provides ” powerful energy to travel long distances », unlike batteries, which are too heavy. The latter will probably be used more in small cars, which did not prevent Air Liquide from inaugurating a plant in Nevada in May producing 30 tonnes of liquid hydrogen every day, with the aim of supplying 40,000 fuel cell vehicles. In the region.

In addition to transport, Air Liquide intends to supply low-carbon hydrogen to the industrial sector. Historical uses are indeed numerous, for example in the refining of oil or the production of hydrogen peroxide. But new uses and therefore opportunities for the group are emerging in the steel industry, where hydrogen could replace coal in the manufacture of steel.

Partnerships at the heart of development

Beyond the technical constraints, Air Liquide’s strategy relies heavily on working in collaboration with the players in ” the hydrogen ecosystem “, explains Mathieu Giard. Assistance from the public authorities will be key to the success of the company’s plan, particularly with regard to the costs of producing green hydrogen. Currently, ” its price is around 6 euros per kilo against 4 euros for blue, and 2 euros for gray “, specifies the supervisor of the hydrogen strategy. He thus pleads for an increase in the price of CO2, “ currently around 90 euros per ton “, who ” will balance production costs “. It is still necessary that the political will follow on this subject, while we know the difficulty of making people pay ultimately, a consumer carbon tax.

Air Liquide, which does not want to be dependent either on this political decision or on the investment plans promised by the authorities, intends, in the future, to base its strategy on the development of partnerships with private players by intensifying their collaborations. This is evidenced by the creation of a 1.5 billion euro fund (Hy24) to structure the carbon-free hydrogen market, with companies around the world such as Vinci and TotalEnergies.