On 22 November, Haropa Port and Verso Energy, a renewable energy specialist, inked an agreement to establish an industrial unit to create low-carbon hydrogen and synthetic fuels in the Grand-Quevilly port region.
The location will be near Grand-Quevilly, on the outskirts of Petit-Couronne, France on land owned by Haropa Port.
This initiative will aid in the protection and strengthening of the local industrial ecosystem, according to Haropa Port with the date of commissioning set for 2029.
The project entails producing hydrogen using water electrolysis at a capacity of up to 350 MW, representing a volume of more than 50,000 tons of hydrogen per year. The investment is estimated to be over US$546 million.
"We are proud to welcome VERSO ENERGY's future carbon-free hydrogen production unit to the Rouen port area. This major project confirms that the Seine axis is the valley of new fuels and new forms of mobility", explained Stéphane Raison, managing director of HAROPA PORT.
It will be accompanied by a unit that will produce synthetic fuels from collected and recycled CO2, creating 150 direct and 250 indirect jobs.
As a result, the project will be able to contribute to the decarbonisation of the port area's industrial sector, as well as the air and sea transport sectors, where demand for sustainable fuels is increasing considerably.
