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HDF Energy builds the world’s first fuel cell plant

HDF Energy has begun construction of the world's first high-powered fuel cell plant to produce electricity from green hydrogen. The plant, under construction near Bordeaux, represents an investment of 170 million euros and will be delivered at the end of 2023.

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Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy) launched last Friday the construction of the world’s first high-powered fuel cell plant to produce electricity from green hydrogen. This plant, representing an investment of 170 million euros, is being built on the site of the former Ford plant in Blanquefort, near Bordeaux. HDF Energy expects the plant to be delivered by November or December 2023, with commissioning in spring 2024.

Fuel cells to decarbonize heavy mobility and electrical networks

The first high-capacity fuel cell, capable of producing between 1.5 and 10 MW, will roll off the production lines in May or June 2024, according to HDF Energy CEO and founder Damien Havard. High-powered fuel cells will generate electricity to decarbonize the heavy mobility sector, including hydrogen freight locomotives and ships, which are too large to use batteries. They will also be connected to wind or solar power sources to supply the electricity grids, replacing old coal or oil-fired power plants, notably in Guyana and South Africa.

A European project to subsidize emerging industrial sectors

HDF Energy has been selected by the Important Projects of Common European Interest (PIIEC), the European Commission’s tool for subsidizing emerging industrial sectors related to the ongoing energy and climate transition, designed to promote the exit from fossil fuels. HDF Energy has acquired a mature technology from the Canadian group Ballard, which it is industrializing and plans to develop with research and development. The SME HDF Energy is in the process of recruiting a hundred people for this 7,000 square meter plant.

Launch customers for HDF Energy

HDF Energy’s two launch customers are ABB Marine International, a ship propulsion specialist, and Captrain, a subsidiary of SNCF. The company also has contracts in Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico, the Philippines and Cambodia. Last Friday, HDF Energy also announced an agreement with southwestern energy distributor Terega Solutions and hydrogen cab company Hype to “develop hydrogen mobility in the Bordeaux metropolitan area.”

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