One of France’s “largest capacity green hydrogen” stations is inaugurated

Brétéché, a fuel distributor that operates in six French departments, inaugurated its first hydrogen station in Maché (Vendée), on the Challans to La Roche-sur-Yon road axis on 29 September. The station has been designed with a high hydrogen supply capacity.
This station now offers green hydrogen with a refuelling capacity of up to 800 kilograms per day.
With this station located on the Challans to La Roche-Sur-Yon route, Brétéché is targeting commercial customers with high-volume hydrogen needs, such as heavy goods and utility vehicles. It is one of the largest capacity green hydrogen refuelling hubs in France.
Thanks to a partnership with green hydrogen pioneer Lhyfe, the Vendée station is supplied with green and renewable hydrogen produced 40 kilometres away in Bouin, at the Lhyfe Pays de la Loire site, using wind-generated electricity and sea water.
This site is a first milestone for the distributor, which said it aims to develop a hydrogen ecosystem in conjunction with Lhyfe and open other refuelling stations in other departments, near Lhyfe's future production plants.
Lhyfe plans to increase the production capacity of the Lhyfe Pays de la Loire site, in Bouin
As for Lhyfe, during the presentation of its half-year results on 27 September, it confirmed plans to ramp up the Lhyfe Pays de la Loire site in order to meet growing demand from existing customers and new customers like Brétéché.
Lhyfe plans to increase the production capacity of this site for 2024.
The current installed capacity is 1 MW, which represents a production capacity of up to 300 kilograms of green hydrogen a day. This production capacity will be boosted to up to a tonne of green hydrogen a day during 2024, giving an installed capacity of 2.5 MW.
Eric Hidier, CEO Brétéché, said: “Our world is undergoing dramatic changes which require us to reassess our manners of producing and consuming for the years to come. We will need to be prepared to work differently, protecting resources and the environment. At Brétéché, we are convinced that the only long-term decarbonisation solution, with a short supply chain and zero emissions, is decarbonised hydrogen. We are proud to be playing a pioneering role in this ecological transition.”
Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe: “We welcome the initiative of Brétéché, which is leading the way in renewable hydrogen distribution. We need other players like them that are action-oriented, with a strong business culture, and aware of the need to change and change fast, and to unite mobility players around hydrogen. This first privately-owned station strengthens the dynamics of the Vendée hydrogen ecosystem.”