The project was founded by four local public authorities from the Tours area and STMicroelectronics Tours to decarbonise heavy transport and industry. It is supported by a 3.4 million euros ADEME grant for the gradual deployment of the infrastructure and aims to produce up to two tonnes of renewable hydrogen a day.
Lhyfe will build a green and renewable hydrogen production site, while Teréga Solutions will operate the distribution infrastructure.
The strategically located Isoparc industrial estate in Sorigny, just off the A10 motorway, was selected as the location for the future renewable hydrogen production plant. The site, which has already been home to the Centre region’s first hydrogen fuel station since 2019, will welcome the first hydrogen production unit powered by renewable energy that will be supplied by the local power operator, the SIEL (Syndicat Intercommunal d’Energie d’Indre et Loire), and its renewable energy company EnER Centre Val de Loire.
The unit will be flexible and modular to allow for development and the integration of the ecosystem’s future needs and demands. With an installed capacity of 5 MW, it will be able to produce up to two tonnes of H2 a day, depending on needs.
It will be used to meet both industrial needs and mobility requirements via two refuelling stations. Hydrogen needs have been identified among numerous local authorities (e.g. Tours Métropole Val de Loire, Communauté de Communes Touraine Vallée de l’Indre, Conseil Départemental de Touraine, etc.) as well as public and private companies of which STMicroelectronics Tours, which have indicated that they wish to develop this solution for the decarbonisation of heavy transport and industry in the area.
On the industry side, STMicroelectronics Tours could use this locally produced renewable hydrogen to support its industrial development of GaN or gallium nitride technology, which requires hydrogen for its production. Using renewable hydrogen would also help it to achieve its goal of being carbon neutral by 2027. The involvement of STMicroelectronics Tours will promote local economic development by providing the Hy’Touraine project with an immediate commercial outlet.
The Hy’Touraine project was selected under the Territorial Hydrogen Ecosystems call for projects by ADEME which will provide a 3.4 million euros grant for the gradual deployment of the infrastructure and user acquisitions, such as the waste collection trucks of the Tours Métropole Val de Loire conurbation.
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