Grant of EUR 172m approved for HDF Energy's hydrogen fuel cell project

The European Commission has approved up to EUR 172 million (USD 184.7m) in French public funding for the high-power hydrogen fuel cell industrial project of Hydrogene de France SA (EPA:HDF), or HDF Energy.

The company, which develops hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technology, will use the grant for the development and industrialisation of high-power hydrogen fuel cells at its recently inaugurated plant near Bordeaux.

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The government support is part of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) "Hy2Move" approved by the European Commission at the end of May.

"We are honored to receive this crucial support from the European Commission and the French State. This announcement is a decisive step in our mission to decarbonise heavy maritime and rail mobility with hydrogen,” deputy chief executive Hanane El Hamraoui commented in a statement last week.

The HDF Energy teams will develop and then industrialise multi-megawatt fuel cells that can replace diesel engines on freight locomotives and provide a green solution for auxiliary power and ship propulsion. The industrial site also includes a high-power fuel cell test platform.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.074)