Europe’s First Green Hydrogen Station Inaugurated at Toulouse-Blagnac airport

Engie, French energy multinational, and HYPORT, which is owned by Engie Solutions to design, finance, build and operate sustainable renewable hydrogen infrastructures, particularly around airport platforms, has launched the first European green hydrogen production, storage and distribution station in Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France.

HYPORT is 51% owned by ENGIE Solutions and 49% by AREC Occitanie, Environmental protection organization in Toulouse, France.

The Hydrogen production facility was inaugurated in the presence of Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region, Pierre-André Durand, Prefect of the Occitanie Region, Christian Assaf, Chairman of AREC Occitanie, Philippe Crébassa, Chairman of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and Catherine MacGregor, CEO of ENGIE Group.

This unique station will refuel buses serving passengers at Toulouse-Blagnac airport and shuttle buses for Airbus employees. It is also open to customers from outside the airport. This infrastructure will accelerate the energy transition in the Occitanie region, while building on the local fabric of economic players and industrial companies.

Decarbonising Mobility

Located in the airport zone and close to major roads, the HYPORT station has a production capacity of over 400 kg of green hydrogen per day, equivalent to 1 MW of high-power electrolysis. It can fuel around 20 buses or 200 light vehicles per day.

The on-site electrolyser is supplied with 100% renewable and local electricity from the green power purchase agreement linking ENGIE group to the Fanjeaux photovoltaic farm and hydropower dams in the Pyrenees. The station can be used not only for mobility, but also for industrial and logistics purposes.

This hydrogen hub comprises a station equipped with two distribution terminals, one landside and one on the apron, to supply light vehicles and hydrogen buses carrying passengers to and from aircraft and car parks. The HYPORT station can be used to refuel pushback tractors, generators that supply aircraft with electricity when they are on stand, along with lorries and coaches.

Developing a Regional Ecosystem

Dedicated to developing the use of hydrogen as a sustainable alternative fuel, HYPORT designs and manages complete green hydrogen solutions, from production to distribution. The HYPORT station is the result of bringing together all the regional and national industrial and institutional players involved in the energy transition.

HYPORT has forged 100% regional partnerships with local manufacturers, while encouraging other economic players to convert their fleets to hydrogen, a major alternative fuel. The project is also supported by the French agency for ecological transition ADEME, the Occitanie Region, and the JIVE 2 project co-funded by the European Union Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.

Huge Investments

Through the national strategy for the development of carbon-free hydrogen, with a budget of $7.56 billion for 2020-2030 and a further $2.16 billion from the France 2030 investment plan, the French government is investing massively to make the country a leader in carbon-free hydrogen.

Hydrogen is one of the solutions for which production will need to be stepped up to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Hydrogen offers a reliable and competitive alternative to conventional fuel. It also generates economic activity and jobs around a promising sector.”
Pierre-André Durand said that by providing funding of $5.61 million to the HYPORT hydrogen ecosystem, including $2.05 million on the production-distribution side, showed the determination of French government and ADEME to support the development of a green hydrogen sector in the Occitanie region.

Frank Lacroix, ENGIE’s Executive Vice President in charge of Energy Solutions, said that decarbonising aviation also means reducing CO2 emissions from ground operations, and hydrogen is a particularly effective lever for achieving this objective.

Christian Assaf said that with HYPORT, they have demonstrated that production of green hydrogen is a reality in Occitanie and this project is unique, and so is our commitment to it.

Carole Delga said that the inauguration of HYPORT has put the whole of Occitanie region in the spotlight as it was the first to position itself to make green hydrogen a reality in France. As a result of the dedicated $161.78 million plan adopted in 2019, the first on a regional scale, we are now present across the entire hydrogen chain, from research to production and the development of uses.

Philippe Crébassa said that with this inauguration, Toulouse-Blagnac airport once again demonstrated its commitment to the rapid decarbonisation of its activities and its contribution to the energy transition in the Toulouse urban area.