Develop and optimize a Hydrogen Economy in the Greater Region – Companies from France, Germany and Luxembourg constitute European Economic Business Interest Grouping

The Members of the EEIG have, each individually and partially together, set themselves the goal of establishing an integrated cross-border energy system in the Greater Region by linking cross-sector projects (hydrogen production, transport, and consumption). The “Grande Region Hydrogen” is composed of interconnected projects that are relying on each other. Furthermore, it will foster synergies to develop the whole value chain of the hydrogen market.

The focus area is the Federal state of Saarland (Germany), the Lorraine Region (Grand-Est – France) and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The aim is to develop and optimize a hydrogen economy along the entire value chain using the outstandingly suitable structural conditions of the focus area.

Environmental impacts
The Grande Region Hydrogen will help decarbonize the industry and parts of the mobility sector and generate emission savings, which comes in line with the objectives set by the European Commission and the Green Deal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The projects part of the ecosystem should reduce CO2 emissions by more than 980,000 tons/year by 2030.

Social impacts
Moreover, the projects part of the Grande Region Hydrogen will enable the transformation of Carling – Saint-Avold and Völklingen platforms toward hydrogen production, providing new expertise and job creation in the heart of Europe. Over 140 new direct jobs and 230 indirect jobs are expected, thus improving skills development through research and universities programs.

Economic impacts
Finally, the projects part of the Grande Region Hydrogen will participate in the economic growth of the region, with significant investments (more than 600 M€ for production facilities and transportation infrastructures). On the one hand, it will produce up to 61,000 tons of hydrogen per year. On the other hand, the open access transport infrastructure will generate economic gains through optimized demand and supply matching. This scaling up effect will contribute to reducing the renewable hydrogen final price, an important step in the European hydrogen market development.

The Grande Region Hydrogen will also contribute to the attractiveness of this cross-border region because it opens the perspective for a new industrial chapter after the coal era, relying on green energy at a competitive price.

More details on each member project: www.grande-region-hydrogen.eu

About Creos Deutschland GmbH
Creos Deutschland GmbH, headquartered in Homburg-Saar, supplies more than two million people in 340 towns and communities in the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate with its approximately 1,650-kilometer high-pressure gas grid and an approximately 450-kilometer high- and medium-voltage grid. The core competencies of Creos Deutschland include the management of energy grids and associated facilities as well as the optimization of grid infrastructure. The Creos Deutschland Group employs around 180 people and is a member of the leading Luxembourg energy group Encevo S.A.
www.creos-net.de

About Encevo S.A.
The Encevo Group is Luxembourg’s largest energy player. It is also active in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Encevo is present throughout the entire energy value chain, spanning production, storage, supply, transportation, trading, distribution and services. The group is based on three pillars. These are mainly represented by three separate entities and their respective subsidiaries: energy supply and the generation of renewable energies through Enovos; network operations through Creos; and energy-related services (decentralised production, energy efficiency, ecomobility, etc.) through Enovos Services. The Encevo Group is a regional energy leader and a key player in Luxembourg’s energy transition. It currently employs more than 2,200 people. The group has more than 330,000 delivery points (electricity and natural gas) and operates more than 10,473 km of power lines and over 3,700 km of gas pipelines.
www.encevo.eu

About GazelEnergie
GazelEnergie is a French energy production and supply company, fully-owned by the European public utility group EPH, which operates installations in the electricity, gas and heat sectors in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Hungary and Poland. EPH recorded turnover of 7 billion euros in 2018 and employs nearly 25,000 people. GazelEnergie operates in three sectors: electricity production (with a diversified portfolio of power plants in the Grand Est and Sud regions of France including biomass, wind and solar farms with a total production capacity of 2,263 MW(e)), electricity and gas supply (20 TWh and 8 TWh respectively) and renewable electricity aggregation. GazelEnergie aims to be a pioneer in the energy transition and reindustrialisation for the territories of coal power plant, in particular through the development of green hydrogen systems. GazelEnergie wishes to develop its industrial sites to make them regional clean-energy platforms.
www.gazelenergie.fr

About GRTgaz
GRTgaz is Europe’s second-largest gas carrier, with 32,500 km of pipes and 640 TWh of gas transported. The company has 3,000 employees and generated nearly €2.3 billion in turnover in 2020. The GRTgaz core purpose is: “Together, we enable an energy future that is safe, affordable and climate neutral”. GRTgaz is an innovative company undergoing a major transformation to adapt its network to new ecological and digital challenges. It is committed to a 100% carbon-neutral French gas mix by 2050. It supports the hydrogen and renewable gas sectors (biomethane and gas from solid and liquid waste). GRTgaz carries out public service missions to guarantee the safety of gas transmission for its 945 customers (shippers, distributors, industrial companies, biomethane plants and producers). With its subsidiaries Elengy, the European leader in LNG terminal services, and GRTgaz Deutschland, operator of the MEGAL transmission network in Germany, GRTgaz plays a key role in the European gas infrastructure scene. The company exports its know-how internationally, in particular services developed by its research centre, RICE. Find us onwww.grtgaz.com and Twitter.
www.grtgaz.com

About H2V
H2V invests, develops, builds and operates large-scale renewable hydrogen production plants (100 MW units). Renewable hydrogen will be produced at a competitive price to decarbonize industry and heavy duty mobility. H2V is already well known in the hydrogen sector in France due to its pioneer projects H2V59 and H2V NORMANDY in Hauts-de-France and Normandy. H2V is part of the group SAMFI INVEST. The group is an independent French company (based in Normandy), with 100% French capital, which develops and invests in renewable energy since its creation in the year 2000 (more than 1 GW of solar and wind capacity developed in the last 20 years). SAMFI INVEST is present on the entire value chain of renewable energies: wind energy, photovoltaic and renewable hydrogen production for industry and mobility uses and refueling stations. The group is also highly active on the hydrogen use side, with Malherbe Transports operating a large truck fleet that it expects to transform to fuel cell vehicles by 2030.
www.h2vproduct.net

About HDF
HDF Energy is a global pioneer in hydrogen energy. HDF develops, finances and operates multi-megawatts Hydrogen-Power plants. These plants provide continuous or on-demand electricity from renewable energy sources (wind or solar), combined with high power fuel cells supplied by HDF.

HDF has developed the world’s first mass production plant for high-power fuel cells for energy, which will be commissioned in France in 2023. Through this activity, HDF Energy will also serve the maritime and data center markets. HDF Energy is a powerful accelerator of the energy transition by offering non-intermittent, grid-friendly and on-demand renewable power. HDF is a company listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris.
www.hdf-energy.com

About STEAG GmbH
For over 80 years, STEAG is standing for efficient and reliable power generation, both in Germany and abroad. As an experienced partner, we support our customers comprehensively in all phases of power supply. We design, develop, implement, operate and market highly efficient energy solutions – from distributed generation facilities and those based on renewable sources to large central power plants. Together with customized solutions in the field of electricity and heat supply, we also provide a wide range of energy services – increasingly on the basis of renewables. Successfully so: Since 1990, STEAG has permanently reduced its own CO2 emissions in Germany by approximately 85 percent.
www.steag.com