Elisabeth Borne, visiting Edouard Philippe, wants to develop green industry “from Le Havre to Paris”

The move is as symbolic as it is political. Elisabeth Borne, met, Tuesday, July 25, in Le Havre, her predecessor Edouard Philippe, mayor of the city and president of the Horizons party, member of the presidential camp. During this visit devoted to economic development, she declared that she wanted “develop the green industry from Le Havre to Paris”and present two projects for the production of unconventional fuels, whose establishment in the port of the city is planned by 2030.

“We want to take full advantage of this port complex”, named Haropa, merger of the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris, and also “further strengthen [sa] place as a gateway to Europe”she said during a press briefing.

The Prime Minister also announced during her trip the deployment of projects, for a total envelope of 23 million euros, in three Norman universities winners of a call for projects of excellence, within the framework of the France 2030 investment plan.

Accelerate the decarbonization of maritime and air transport

Accompanied by six ministers, including Sylvie Retailleau (Minister for Higher Education and Research), Agnès Pannier-Runacher (Minister for Energy Transition), and Christophe Béchu (Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion), the head of government visited the port of Le Havre alongside Edouard Philippe on board a boat, after receiving a city sweatshirt from the hands of the former head of government for the ” fast walk “.

The two projects that she unveiled on Tuesday are carried by the energy group Engie. By 2030, the latter plans to set up two unconventional fuel production infrastructures in the port of Le Havre intended to accelerate the decarbonization of maritime and air transport, Salamander and KerEAUzen, for a total of 1.2 billion euros in investments.

Their construction will first generate 5,000 jobs, then their operational management between 150 and 200 jobs, said the director general of Engie, Catherine MacGregor, also of the trip.

The Salamander project will make it possible to supply, from 2027, 11,000 tonnes per year of second-generation biomethane for the needs of the maritime carrier CMA CGM, in a sector which is seeking to get out of fuel oil and fossil gas.

The other, larger project, France KerEAUzen, valued at 1 billion euros, should make it possible, after a feasibility study, to supply 70,000 tonnes per year of e-kerosene (low-carbon synthetic fuel) from 2030, mainly for the needs of Air France.

This fuel will be made from the combination of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen produced by an electrolysis unit, and CO₂ recycled, whose contributions are estimated at 270,000 tonnes.

Gold “some of this CO₂i.e. 60,000 tonnes, will be recovered at the Salamander facilities”the rest provided by local industrialists, explained to Agence France-Presse Sébastien Arbola, deputy general manager of Engie, underlining the “complementarity” between the two projects.

Back on land, the Prime Minister and deputy of Calvados boasted to a few passers-by “the most beautiful region of France”after posing for a photo in front of a restaurant called “Babette” and before chatting with a young nurse who complained about his working conditions.

The two politicians were then greeted on the forecourt of the town hall by boos and shouting from a few dozen demonstrators waving flags of the CGT or the NPA. “Outside the government”in particular shouted a woman.