On 4 December 2023, HYPORT, owned by ENGIE Solutions (51%) and the Occitanie region’s Energy and Climate Agency (49%), unveils Europe’s first green hydrogen production, storage and distribution station at an airport. The aim being to decarbonize its ground-based activities.
 

Catherine MacGregor, who unveiled the station alongside Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie region (around Toulouse), pointed out that it was a significant step in the energy transition of the region – and of the entire industry – because  “decarbonizing aviation starts by transforming ground-based activities, which also emit CO₂,” as ENGIE’s CEO said. 

With a production capacity of over 400 kilograms of carbon-free hydrogen a day, or the equivalent of one megawatt of high-power electrolysis, HYPORT’s electrolyser supplies two hydrogen charging stations. One is on the tarmac for airport shuttles, aircraft tractors, and the ground power units supplying electricity to aircraft when they are on the ground and not connected to a gangway. The other one, on the city side of the airport, can charge up to 20 buses or 200 light vehicles, particularly taxis, a day. 

Based on site, the electrolyser is powered solely by local, renewable electricity. The charging station uses electricity from an agrivoltaic farm in Fanjeaux (80km from Toulouse) and SHEM hydroelectric dams in the Pyrenees, operated by ENGIE. 

This success story is founded on the conviction, shared by ENGIE and the Occitanie region, that hydrogen has a key role to play in the energy transition, particularly by decarbonizing mobility. 

This convergence of vision between the industrial and institutional sectors is at the origin of the project. It represents a total investment of 7.2 million euros and received funding from Ademe (the French agency for environmental transition), the European Union and the Occitanie region. It meets the government’s objective to promote future industries.