The French company specialised in renewable hydrogen production, Lhyfe, has announced that it has successfully conducted its first combustion tests using green hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas in Spain’s ceramic industry. The operation took place in the Valencia region, involving a total delivery of three tonnes of green hydrogen spread over three weeks. Produced at a site located in Bessières, Haute-Garonne, operational since 2024 with a daily capacity of two tonnes, the green hydrogen was transported by a modern logistics fleet comprising nearly 70 specialised containers. These tests now open the path for future similar industrial applications, thanks to a technical kit developed by Lhyfe enabling combustion with up to 100% green hydrogen.
Deployment potential across various industries
Natural gas combustion is a common industrial process used to achieve temperatures ranging from 400°C to 1550°C in sectors such as ceramics, cement, steel, glass and non-ferrous metals. Specifically, in the Valencia region, the ceramic industry relies heavily on this type of process. Lhyfe’s test aimed to demonstrate the technical effectiveness of its progressive gas blending device, transitioning from natural gas to a 100% green hydrogen ratio. The trials, requiring only minor modifications to existing burners, were successful according to company representatives.
Lhyfe is now offering its blending kit for experimentation in other industrial sectors using natural gas as an energy source for high-temperature thermal processes. The company expects that this system can be rapidly adopted by industries heavily consuming fossil fuels wishing to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.
Increased ambitions in the Spanish market
Lhyfe’s successful entry into the Spanish market comes two years after opening its local subsidiary based in Madrid and Barcelona. The company already plans to expand its production capacities through a previously announced project in Vallmoll, in the Tarragona region, with an installed capacity of 15 megawatts (MW), allowing for a daily production of approximately five tonnes of green hydrogen starting from 2027. The Spanish government is actively supporting this project through a €14 million subsidy within the H2 Pioneros programme, aimed at decarbonising chemical industries and transportation.
Franz Bechtold, commercial director of Lhyfe Spain, reiterated the interest from Spanish industrialists in green hydrogen, stressing however the necessary modifications for certain industrial applications such as combustion in the ceramic sector. The French company thus hopes to capitalise on this initial success to further pursue industrial collaborations within the country.
A first milestone for the French company
According to Frédéric Naudi, Key Account Industry Director at Lhyfe, these trials carried out in Spain represent “an important milestone” for the French company. This operation confirms its ability to technically support industrial players wishing to adopt combustion processes without fossil natural gas, thus opening a new potential market across the European continent. The company indicates it will continue pursuing its primary objective of providing solutions tailored to the specific decarbonisation needs of each client industry, while also asserting its international presence in energy-intensive sectors.
