The French government has allocated €99.84 mn in public aid to Gen-Hy, a start-up specialising in hydrogen-related technologies, to support the construction of a facility dedicated to membranes and electrolysers in Allenjoie, in the Doubs department. The announcement was made by Minister of Industry Marc Ferracci during a site visit, stating that this industrial project will also benefit from regional and European support.
Public support for hydrogen sector structuring
The industrial site plans to produce up to 350 anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers annually, with power outputs ranging from 100 kilowatts to 2 megawatts. The facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2026. A total of 250 jobs is foreseen, including 150 within the first four years. The minister noted that this initiative is part of a national drive aimed at generating up to 8,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.
Gen-Hy, a spin-off of the Île-de-France-based company FlexFuel Energy Development, launched the project in 2022 in the outskirts of Montbéliard. The funding was announced shortly after the revision of France’s decarbonised hydrogen roadmap, which lowered certain ambitions initially set in 2020.
Project approved at European level
The funding granted to Gen-Hy falls under the framework of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) programmes, a mechanism designed to support strategic industrial innovation. The European Commission has approved this public financial contribution, authorising its implementation in compliance with EU competition law.
The company recently welcomed Saint-Gobain as a shareholder, following initial financial backing from the Eiffage Group. Gen-Hy emphasises its use of materials that are fully sourced in France, avoiding the use of rare resources in the manufacturing of its equipment.
Industrial capacity and regional integration
The Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, where the plant will be located, is also backing the initiative by developing hydrogen-specific training programmes. These aim to address the growing demand for skilled labour driven by the sector’s expansion. The minister acknowledged that implementing the national hydrogen strategy took time due to the political context, but reaffirmed that the updated targets remain “highly ambitious”.
The Allenjoie site now stands as a tangible example of efforts underway to build an industrial hydrogen production chain within France, in alignment with both national and European strategies.
