The deployment of green hydrogen, useful for decarbonising in particular industry and heavy mobility, "all of this will only happen if we are able at the national level to pool efforts and investments", said Benoît Potier in front of the Senate Economic Affairs Committee.
"At the national level, we must become both operational - with a national committee capable of acting and making pragmatic decisions - and also that we have the capacity to reflect, at a perhaps different level, on the directions to be taken, the budgets to be allocated: industry, mobility, research ... ", he said, wishing that state bodies participate, so that it is done" for the benefit of the country ".
Mr. Potier welcomed the budgets promised in recent months to the sector, both at the French level (7 billion euros, of which 3,4 billion by 2023) and at European level. But "it is a challenge. You must not spend it in order to spend, you have to have relatively clear ideas (...). We have invested the money, we have the will to do, the industrialists are the driving force. that I wish is that we do not invest anywhere and anyhow ".
For example, "there would be a risk that each city would make its station": "production will be decentralized, yes, but the orchestration must be coordinated".
According to him, there is also "a reflection to be carried out on + where is the value +" of hydrogen: "the worst would be to reproduce what happened with the photovoltaic panels: subsidize, without return in terms of capture of value".
The government announced the "imminent" installation of a National Hydrogen Committee chaired by the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and bringing together companies in the sector.
Today, 880.000 tonnes of industrial hydrogen are produced in France (used for example for oil refining or the manufacture of chemical fertilizers), but it is 95% from fossil fuels, indicates France Hydrogen (ex-Afhypac ), in its 2020 report published on Wednesday.
By 2030, the sector is targeting 1,35 million tonnes, for extended uses and 52% carbon-free (from renewable energies, or even nuclear or fossil energy with carbon capture). For example, this would be 5.000 heavy vehicles (compared to 21 buses today), 1.000 boats (compared to 2), 1.000 charging stations (instead of 40), 250 trains, projects the sector, which estimates the investment needs at 24 Billions of Euro's.
With 2.000 jobs, it says it hopes to generate 50.000 to 150.000 within 10 years.