The old Gandrange iron and steel site wants to take advantage of hydrogen to reborn industrially

After steel, hydrogen? In Grandrange (Moselle), on the site of the former ArcelorMittal electric steelworks, closed in 2009 despite the commitments of Nicolas Sarkozy, two hydrogen production units could be created. The project is led by the company H2V Industry, majority owned by Samfi-Invest (Malherbe, Locabox, etc.), already involved in two large-scale projects, in Normandy and Dunkirk.

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H2V aims to build production units of 100 megawatts each, from certified electricity of renewable origin. Why Gandrange? “The Moselle is located at the intersection of two European corridors, observes Jean-Marc Leonhardt, CEO of H2V Industry. It is also crossed by an important river axis, which leads to the major ports of the North Sea. This is fundamental, because hydrogen is the future fuel for heavy transport: trucks, river transport, trains, buses… We must be as close as possible to end customers. “ The site is also close to a gas network that could be reused to supply a large local hydrogen ecosystem.

“Demolition and depollution”

This investment of 250 million euros, creating 70 direct jobs and a hundred indirect ones, could materialize “In 2025 or 2026”, according to Mr. Leonhardt. “We will not be able to go any faster on this file, because the site of demolition and depollution of the land will take time”, he specifies.

For now, the immense silhouette of the old steelworks still dominates the Orne valley. The work of deconstruction has barely accelerated. Frank Supplisson manages the operations. The former adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy, and the inspirer of the broken promises for the Gandrange site, converted into the private sector, bought the wasteland from ArcelorMittal in relative discretion, in 2019.

This is not the first time that his name has appeared in an industrial file in Moselle. In 2014, he obtained the takeover of Ascometal with the support of the public authorities, before leaving the company two and a half years later, a few months before a new bankruptcy filing. In 2017, he also bought the former Akers forge in Thionville.

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“It turns out that hydrogen production sites need electricity, water, gas and access by road or water, indicates Mr. Supplisson. We also need logistical capacities. The old steelworks already have all these connections, which are very difficult to recreate elsewhere. Initially, we wanted to develop a project around hydrogen at our Thionville site. But the state froze the land because of a potential motorway route. My interest then focused on Gandrange. “

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