“Green” hydrogen: Lhyfe launches the first over-the-counter exchange

Called “Lhyfe heroes”, it will connect manufacturers who produce hydrogen by electrolysis of water and customers with their own transport equipment and wishing to purchase volumes of carbon-free hydrogen, indicated Antoine Hamon, director operations at Lhyfe.

“Today, the green hydrogen market is just getting started,” he says.

“We can clearly see that the electrolyzer production lines are not loaded as they should be, but we remain convinced that green hydrogen is a pillar of the decarbonization of the economy,” he adds, referring to the recent slowdown in the development of the hydrogen sector.

The market in France is fragmented between several small producers spread across the territory who have launched the operation of one or more electrolysers, tools allowing the separation of hydrogen and oxygen atoms from the water molecule (H20 ) thanks to electricity.

“The platform will provide security to the end customer and will make it possible to aggregate all small players in France and Europe,” adds Mr. Hamon. It specifies that the price paid will remain negotiated over the counter and “will not be public”.

“Our platform is primarily a tool for networking and logistical facilitation,” he explains.

In addition to Lhyfe, which operates three electrolysers in Bouin (Vendée), in Brittany and near Toulouse, the Hympulsion company inaugurated a hydrogen station in Clermont-Ferrand in 2022.

Toulouse-Blagnac airport also acquired a carbon-free hydrogen production station in December 2023, using hydraulic electricity from the Pyrenees and a photovoltaic power plant in Aude.

For the moment, the end customers are taxis, buses, or garbage trucks running on hydrogen, as well as generators (generator sets) or industrial chemical or agri-food sites that need hydrogen. to decarbonize their manufacturing processes.