High demand for hydrogen
The hydrogen consumed by French industry represents 900,000 tonnes per year.
This hydrogen is most of the time not carbon-free because it is mainly produced by steam reforming from fossil fuels.
The ambitious decarbonization objective of this sector set by the government is to halve industry emissions by 2035 to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
Hydrogen in industrial processes
Significant quantities of hydrogen are found in many industrial processes. The potential for decarbonization through the production of green hydrogen is significant, particularly in the following industrial segments:
- steel industry,
- chemistry as a reagent to produce fertilizer or nylon,
- refining, mainly to desulfurize fuels,
- the production of synthetic fuels (e-fuels), consisting mainly of H2 and CO2 rejected by industries then revalorized
Creation of the electrolysis sector
To serve hydrogen needs, particularly with the will to decarbonize industry, the creation of the electrolysis sector is identified as promising on French area. The country has set the objective of installing 6.5 GW of electrolysers in 2030.