France Hydrogène publishes a manifesto for a National Hydrogen Strategy that keeps its promises on reindustrialization

"We, players in the sector and representatives of the territories, federated within France Hydrogène, call on the Government to design a revised strategy that combines deep decarbonization and reindustrialization of the territories.

France has the trump cards in hand: the gigafactories of key hydrogen equipment are being built; a fabric of SMEs-SMIs is rapidly being structured in the territories; national R&D&I(1) is one of the sector's global drivers; and our carbon-free electricity mix should allow us to launch projects on the different uses of hydrogen more quickly, and thus build national champions with a sustainable competitive advantage. Far exceeding the initial ambition of the strategy, the intentions of industrial players (more than one million tonnes of carbon-free hydrogen) confirm this potential. The revision of the national strategy comes at a pivotal time to seize this vast field of opportunities.

While the decarbonisation-reindustrialisation couple is at the heart of the project for a French hydrogen sector, it seems essential that the revision of the strategy is based simultaneously on long-term decarbonisation (i.e. avoiding the risk successive "cliff effects" on all emitting sectors) and on the sustainable industrial, fiscal and social return that this generates in the territories.

In this context, the signatories of this manifesto call for the national strategy not to be limited to the decarbonization of part of the 50 most emitting industrial sites. Prioritizing the allocation of hydrogen to a few industrial sectors would seriously compromise the collective effort made by the Government and industrialists since 2020. Semi-centralized production projects play a pivotal role for the effective deployment of all the links in our strategy, and in this respect we welcome the place that the Government plans to give them in the various support systems currently being developed. Indeed, ensuring the development of intermediate-sized electrolysis capacities is essential for national equipment manufacturers to be able to scale up and make the necessary progress on the technological learning curve, thus de-risking centralized projects linked to a few large industrial sites.

The emergence of “champions” and their manufacturing fabric is a particularly significant issue in hydrogen road mobility. While a remarkable effort has been made to structure a French offer of key equipment for hydrogen road mobility (fuel cells, tanks, etc.), it now seems essential to transform the test by "priming the pump", c ie triggering the order on the national market to collectively consolidate, in France, an industrial competitive advantage. As such, the proposals for ecological planning and mechanisms made by the hydrogen sector will be key.

In connection with the planned deployment of the different uses and production methods of carbon-free hydrogen, the sector calls on the Government to include in the revised strategy the planning of infrastructure projects for the transport, distribution and storage of hydrogen.

Finally, our R&D&I is a pillar of our industrial sovereignty, to master key technologies, reduce our dependence on critical materials and prepare for the future with breakthrough technologies. Continuing efforts in upstream and applied research will therefore be crucial.

The revision of the National Strategy should not restrict the initial ambition: to promote uses that will create value and jobs in our territories. All the actors, federated within France Hydrogen, are mobilized for the deployment of a French hydrogen sector of excellence. Planning schemes and creative tools to mobilize private investment are being developed, but it is crucial not to relax the public effort at a time when the decisions taken will condition our future energy and industrial sovereignty."

(1) Research, Development, Innovation