TotalEnergies, Air Liquide team up on clean hydrogen for SAF at French refinery

French industrial gases supplier Air Liquide (EPA:AI) and French energy group TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTE) plan a unit that will produce renewable and low-carbon hydrogen as part of the conversion of TotalEnergies’ Grandpuits site in France to a biorefinery.

According to an announcement today, Air Liquide will invest over EUR 130 million (USD 133m) to build and operate the hydrogen production unit. TotalEnergies will buy the hydrogen generated under a long-term contract and use it to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its biorefinery.

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The hydrogen unit will have a capacity of more than 20,000 tonnes a year and will be equipped with Air Liquide’s carbon capture technology. The hydrogen produced will be partly renewable as the unit will recycle residual biogases from Grandpuits’ biorefinery as a replacement for natural gas, the companies explained.

TotalEnergies unveiled plans in 2020 to invest more than EUR 500 million to make its Grandpuits refinery a zero-crude platform.

"By recycling the biogas produced by the biorefinery into renewable hydrogen, this innovative project makes full use of the conversion of the Grandpuits refinery into a zero crude platform harnessing the potential of biomass, especially in the production of sustainable aviation fuel,” commented Bernard Pinatel, president Refining & Chemicals at TotalEnergies.

The project supports TotalEnergies’ aim to decarbonise 100% of the hydrogen used by its refineries in Europe by 2030.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.025)