Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes presents IMAGHyNE: the Grand Hydrogen Valley project. The project, which paves the way for the deployment of a renewable hydrogen economy in the region, was launched on Monday 12 February 2024 at the Hôtel de Région de Lyon.
IMAGHyNE (Investments to Maximise the Ambition for Green Hydrogen iN Europe), coordinated by the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is the only European project to have won the 2023 call for projects for a large hydrogen valley. The official launch of this large-scale project took place on 12 February at the Hôtel de Région de Lyon, under the honorary presidency of Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and in the presence of Thierry Kovacs, Vice-President of the Region in charge of environment and positive ecology.
IMAGHyNE paves the way for the deployment of a renewable hydrogen economy in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, fully integrated into the existing energy system and meeting the challenges of decarbonising the highly emitting mobility and industrial sectors.
The IMAGHyNE project brings together more than 40 French and European partners from six different countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland). The six-year project (2024-2029) has a budget of 200 million euros and has received a total grant of 20 million euros from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
The objectives of the project are:
- Deploy 57 MW of new electrolysis capacity to produce 8,000 tonnes per year of low-carbon hydrogen, half of which will be 100% renewable, with the aim of accelerating the energy transition to a fully renewable economy in the long term,
- Establish a flexible hydrogen supply chain combining more than 40 tonnes of underground storage and tube trailer deliveries,
13 distribution stations, already financed by other sources, - Deploy 203 on-road fuel cell vehicles for heavy and intensive mobility, 63 off-road fuel cell vehicles and a back-up generator at the airport site,
- Designing multi-user industrial clusters around production sites.
IMAGHyNE responds to the ambitions and expectations of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership’s call for large-scale hydrogen valley projects and contributes to the European hydrogen strategy. IMAGHyNE will promote the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy through :
- The extension of the valley, including the development of a pipeline network connecting to the future European backbone, and the future transition of industrial actors observing the project,
- An ambitious replication strategy targeting at least five European territories, airports and mountain ecosystems,
- Wide communication and dissemination, including training and the general public,
- Recommendations to public authorities, particularly in terms of regulation.
- This ambition will be achieved thanks to the involvement of public and private partners covering the entire hydrogen value chain.
The IMAGHyNE partners will work collectively to create links and synergies with existing and future valleys already supported by the CHP.
The european commission, through the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, has provided funding for 3 small scale projects in the 2023 call and kick-off-meetings are forthcoming.
