February 9, 2024
Green Hydrogen: Equans and Valeco Join Forces to Accelerate the Decarbonization of Transportation and Industry in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region
On Wednesday, January 31, during the Hyvolution trade show, Yves Nussbaum, Managing Director of the Process Industries Division at Equans France, and François Daumard, President of Valeco, signed a partnership agreement to deploy an electrolysis-based hydrogen production facility in the Dordogne. Designed to power mobility applications for which hydrogen is a particularly well-suited alternative and to decarbonize local industries by 2026, the future hydrogen production plant will be connected to a solar farm currently under construction by Valeco.
A global leader in the energy and services sector, Equans will be responsible for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the infrastructure, while Valeco, a renewable energy producer and the project’s majority investor, will supply the renewable electricity needed to produce green hydrogen.
The hydrogen production process selected for this project is water electrolysis, one of the most environmentally friendly methods available today. Using water—rather than hydrocarbons—as the primary resource to create hydrogen, the process involves separating and then recovering the hydrogen contained in water molecules using an electric current. The direct connection of the electrolyzer to an intermittent renewable energy source is at the heart of this innovation, which allows it to qualify as “green hydrogen.” Powered in part by local, renewable electricity supplied by the Valeco solar power plant—which has a planned capacity of 8.8 MWelec—the electrolyzer operated by Equans will produce local, renewable hydrogen.
With a maximum capacity of 5 MW, the hydrogen production facility will serve as a central hub and supply a “filling center” that will distribute hydrogen to various applications: refueling stations for hydrogen-powered electric vehicles or as a substitute for fossil fuels for industrial companies interested in the decarbonization opportunities offered by this local production.
Named “Dordogne H2,” the project is part of—and reinforces—a broader program to build a hydrogen ecosystem undertaken by the Dordogne Departmental Council through a Call for Expressions of Interest, for which the Hydrogen Business Unit of Bouygues Energies & Services, now part of Equans, was selected on March 17, 2022. It also benefits from the support of the Dordogne Chamber of Agriculture and the Dordogne CUMA.
The Dordogne H2 project strengthens Equans’ expertise in low-carbon hydrogen and confirms the learning curve our teams began several years ago. Already well-established among mobility stakeholders and drawing on our accumulated experience, we aim to contribute to the sector’s growth and are working on larger-scale projects to expand and ensure the reliability of carbon-free hydrogen applications. This challenge requires a cohesive ecosystem of public and private partners, and in this regard, we would like to extend a special thank you to our partner Valeco.
Yves Nussbaum, Managing Director of the Process Industries Division at Equans France.
This agreement underscores the strength of our relationship with Equans, and our teams are proud of this achievement! Our 8.8 MW solar power plant will play a key role in contributing to the production of green hydrogen through water electrolysis. This collaboration will enable the integration of green hydrogen into heavy-duty transportation and local industry, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future for our region.
François Daumard, President of Valeco
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