TotalEnergies and Air Liquide announce their decision to create a joint venture in equal parts to develop a network of hydrogen stations, aimed at heavy vehicles on the main European road corridors.
This initiative will help facilitate access to hydrogen, enabling the development of its use for the transport of goods and further strengthening the hydrogen sector.
The partners aim to deploy more than 100 hydrogen stations on major European roads – in France, Benelux and Germany – in the coming years. These stations, under the TotalEnergies brand, will be located in large strategic corridors.
This agreement will lead to the creation of a major player in hydrogen refueling solutions and will contribute to the decarbonisation of road transport in Europe. The two companies will combine their knowledge and experience in infrastructure, hydrogen distribution and mobility:
- TotalEnergies will contribute its experience in the operation and management of station networks and energy distribution to BtoB customers;
- Air Liquide will bring its expertise in technologies and its mastery of the entire hydrogen value chain.
The joint venture, which will be jointly managed by TotalEnergies and Air Liquide, will invest in, build and operate these stations, as well as source hydrogen from the market and dispense it to its transport customers.
“Following the recent signing of a partnership to produce renewable and low-carbon hydrogen on our Grandpuits Zero Crude platform, we are pleased to join forces once again with Air Liquide and continue our joint efforts to decarbonize mobility. As pioneers in hydrogen mobility, we are convinced of the need to start building now a heavy-duty network that will benefit our customers.This new partnership with Air Liquide will allow us to continue our development across the entire hydrogen value chain “, says Thierry Pflimlin, President of Marketing and Services at TotalEnergies.
“Hydrogen offers clear advantages for resilient mobility. To promote its widespread use, it is essential to accelerate the development of refueling infrastructures and to provide vehicle manufacturers and transport operators with a sufficiently dense network of stations. It is precisely the ambition of this joint venture, which will benefit from the complementary experience of Air Liquide and TotalEnergies.As a leader for more than 60 years and with unique knowledge and technologies, Air Liquide is an important player in accelerating and increase the development of hydrogen, a key element for the emergence of a low-carbon society”, Matthieu Giard, Vice President. President and member of the Executive Committee of the Air Liquide Group, which oversees the activities of Hydrogen, he adds.
The two partners plan to establish their joint venture in 2023, subject to the completion of appropriate contractual documentation and receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals.
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