Total Energies to further decarbonize La Mède biorefinery through renewable hydrogen agreement with Air Liquide

Image: Total Energies

Total Energies announced Nov. 25 that, in line with its 2030 ambition to decarbonize the hydrogen used in its European refineries, it has joined forces with Air Liquide to produce renewable hydrogen at La Mède in southeast France.

The La Mède site was Europe’s second refinery to convert to biofuel production—following Eni’s conversion of a refinery in Venice, Italy—and began producing renewable diesel in 2019.

This new project complements the Masshylia project to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis led by Total Energies in partnership with Engie.

These projects will reduce the La Mède biorefinery’s CO2 annual emissions by 130,000 tons.

Under the new agreement, Air Liquide is going to build and operate a renewable hydrogen production unit at the La Mède platform. 

With an annual capacity of 25,000 tons, this unit will recycle coproducts from the Total Energies biorefinery.

The hydrogen will then be used in the biorefinery to produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The project’s total investment amounts to 150 million euros (USD$157.7 million) for Total Energies and Air Liquide.

The new unit is expected to start production in 2028.

“This new renewable hydrogen production project, carried out with Air Liquide, allows us to accelerate the decarbonization of our La Mède platform,” said Vincent Stoquart, Total Energies’ president of refining and chemicals. “Almost 10 years after the announcement of its conversion, La Mède is continuing its transformation and is becoming a low-carbon hydrogen production center, thus contributing to the decarbonization ambition of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur region.”

At the same time, TotalEnergies is continuing the development, with its partner Engie, of the Masshylia project for green-hydrogen production by water electrolysis with a capacity of 10,000 tons per year, to contribute to the decarbonization of both the biorefinery and local customers at the Fos-Berre industrial-port zone.

The two partners are aiming to start up the first 20-megawatt electrolyzer in 2029, subject to confirmation of European and French subsidies and the necessary public authorizations.

Total Energies said it is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of producing, converting and supplying energy to its customers.

One of the paths identified by the company is to use green- or low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonize its European refineries, a move that should help reduce its CO2 emissions by around 3 million tons a year by 2030.