They have been working together “discreetly” for more than two years. Grouped together, thirty European energy manufacturers have joined forces to promote green hydrogen at competitive prices in the Old Continent. Named “HyDeal Ambition”, their alliance brings together groups such as Vinci Construction, Falck Renewables, Hydrogen de France and Gazel Energy, and the Spanish Enagas and Naturgy. Their bet: to water the European Union with this still little available energy at the price of 1.5 euros per kilo, at par with the hydrogen extracted from fossil fuels.
On the roadmap side, HyDeal plans to start production in Spain in 2025. With the objective of reaching, in 2030, nearly 3.6 million tonnes of hydrogen from 95 gigawatts of solar coupled with 67 gigawatts of ‘electrolysers. According to the consortium, these volumes will be produced in southern Europe and consumed in Spain, France, Germany and other European countries.
Ten times more energy than an EPR
“The challenge of the energy revolution lies in the speed of its implementation and the volumes generated”, recalls Thierry Lepercq, spokesperson for the consortium and boss of Soladvent, a company belonging to the consortium: “HyDeal will be three times faster to set up than a third generation reactor (EPR) and will generate ten times more energy”, affirms the one who was also founder of Solairedirect and former deputy general manager of Engie in charge of research, technology and innovation. According to him, these objectives, which seem enormous, would be achievable “Thanks to the competitiveness of photovoltaics in Spain” and to “Economies of scale expected in the manufacture of electrolysers within gigafactories, the announcements of which are increasing”.
Bold, the project has already caught the attention of several manufacturers. In Spain, Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of ArcelorMittal, is already counting on this low-cost hydrogen to decarbonize its blast furnaces in Gijon.