Lhyfe inaugurates offshore renewable hydrogen production pilot site

Plug Power Inc. and Lhyfe announced the world’s first hydrogen production at sea on a floating platform with a Plug 1 MW electrolyzer on an offshore green hydrogen production site in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Plug’s electrolyzer will be directly powered by offshore wind turbines. Plug’s marinized EX-425D 1-megawatt electrolyzer product will be the first electrolyzer operating on a floating platform under extreme conditions. The electrolyzer system has been marinized to meet acceleration, tilt and other marine specifications.

The “Sealhyfe” project paves the way for leveraging offshore wind assets being built globally, specifically around the North Sea in Europe. The project will be operated for 6 months at the pier, then for 12 months off the coast of Le Croisic at the offshore testing site SEM-REV by French engineering school Centrale Nantes.

Lhyfe and Plug, having initiated a strategic relationship in October 2021, have also executed an MoU to jointly develop 300 megawatts of green hydrogen plants across Europe by 2025. In September, Plug announced a deal with Lhyfe to provide 50 megawatts of PEM electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, the company’s largest multi-site order in Europe.

Sealhyfe is supported by the French energy and environment agency ADEME and the Pays de la Loire Region. The project was developed by a consortium led by Lhyfe, who has managed all the engineering studies and will operate the production site, and includes Chantiers de L’Atlantique, GEPS Techno, Eiffage Énergie Systèmes, the Port of Saint-Nazaire and Kraken Subsea Solutions.

Matthieu Guesné, Chairman and CEO and founder of Lhyfe, said, “By paving the way for the mass production of renewable hydrogen at sea, Sealhyfe is fully in line with the EU’s strategy to deploy an offshore hydrogen chain, and wishes to help build the energy sovereignty of countries.”

Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug, said, “Today’s inauguration of Sealhyfe marks a pivotal moment for Plug and Lhyfe, demonstrating that green hydrogen is possible, not just in onshore projects, but offshore too.”