Lhyfe, one of the world’s pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen, and Elyse Energy, a European specialist in the production of low-carbon molecules, have announced that they plan to jointly develop the production of e-methanol from green renewable hydrogen at the heart of the Loire estuary’s industrial and logistics port ecosystem.
This project, known as Green Coast, is of major importance for the area and for the entire maritime transport sector, which is seeking to achieve decarbonisation.
In late 2023, Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port selected Lhyfe to set up an industrial production and distribution operation for green hydrogen. At the time, Lhyfe presented its plans to build an industrial unit with a renewable green hydrogen production capacity of up to 85 tonnes per day (installed electrolysis capacity of 210 MW), in Montoir-de-Bretagne, to the north of the Multivrac terminal, by 2028.
Nearby, Elyse Energy has positioned itself to produce renewable fuel in the industrial port zone. A synergy between these two project leaders led to the signing of an exclusive agreement to study the feasibility of producing e-methanol from Lhyfe’s green hydrogen, in order to decarbonise maritime transport. The rest of the production would be used to decarbonise mobility and industry locally (see the financial press release published last July).
This project, called Green Coast, will be located at the Montoir-de-Bretagne industrial port hub, near the quayside.
The project is currently under development, and is subject to the granting of operating licences, building permits and financial investment decisions. The conclusions of the initial studies will be communicated during 2025.
Decarbonising maritime transport is a key challenge for achieving the dual objective of carbon neutrality and an exit from fossil fuels. The shipping sector, which handles 80% of world trade, accounts for 14% of CO2 emissions from transport in Europe, and is firmly committed to decarbonisation, with several sustainable options for ship propulsion.