Hydrogen: a Driving Force Behind the Decarbonization of Our Refineries in Europe

Hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be produced using various processes:

• Green hydrogen (also known as “renewable hydrogen”) is produced by water electrolysis, a process that separates water ( H₂O) into oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H₂) by means of an electric current. Hydrogen is called “green” if the electricity used for the process is of renewable origin (wind or solar).
• Blue hydrogen (also known as “low-carbon hydrogen”) is produced from the transformation of fossil fuels, but the CO₂ emitted during its production is captured for reuse or storage, using CO₂ capture and sequestration (CCS) processes. Low-carbon hydrogen also refers to hydrogen produced by electrolysis, using electricity from low-carbon energy sources, notably nuclear (commonly referred to as “yellow hydrogen”), with a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the entire life cycle, compared with hydrogen produced using existing techniques.
• Grey hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels (natural gas) using a steam-reforming process that separates the hydrogen atoms from the carbon atoms. This technique emits high levels of CO₂. Grey hydrogen is widely used in refineries, mainly to desulfurize fuels.

In September 2023, TotalEnergies launched a call for tender to use up to 500 kt/year of hydrogen consumed in its European refineries from 2030. Four types of projects are being launched to help develop a European low-carbon hydrogen market:

• biohydrogen production units using biomass gas produced in our biorefineries. This biohydrogen will be used in particular to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF);
• electrolyzer projects powered by TotalEnergies renewable electrons, through:
  • either joint venture projects between TotalEnergies and a partner,
  • or tolling contracts for electrons supplied by TotalEnergies;
• long-term third-party purchases of green hydrogen.

In 2024, we announced a project for a renewable hydrogen production unit to be built and operated by Air Liquide on our La Mède platform. With a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, this unit will recycle co-products from the TotalEnergies biorefinery. The hydrogen will then be used by the biorefinery to produce biodiesel and Sustainable Air Fuels (SAF). Adaptation of the platform will reduce the biorefinery's GHG emissions by 130,000 tonnes per year from 2028 onwards.

On our Grandpuits platform, Air Liquide is building a unit to produce around 20,000 tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen, thanks to the recycling of residual biogas from the biorefinery. In addition, this unit will be equipped from the outset with Air Liquide's Cryocap^TM CO₂ capture technology, enabling it to contribute to reducing the platform's carbon footprint by capturing over 110,000 tonnes per year of CO₂ and reusing it in agri-food and industrial applications.

The renewable, low-carbon hydrogen thus produced will be used primarily by the biorefinery for the production of sustainable jet fuel. This investment will avoid the emission of 150,000 tonnes of CO₂e per year, compared with existing processes.

TotalEnergies has signed long-term tolling agreements with Air Liquide to supply renewable electricity to dedicated electrolysis capacity operated by partners, who in turn supply us with green hydrogen. The aim is to decarbonize the Normandy and Antwerp sites.

As part of Air Liquide's 200 MW electrolyzer project, TotalEnergies has signed a tolling agreement to dedicate 130 MW of this electrolyzer to the production of 15,000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen for the Antwerp platform. Upstream of the electrolyzer, TotalEnergies will supply renewable electrons produced by the OranjeWind wind farm to Air Liquide for use in the production of green hydrogen. The project is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2027, and will reduce GHG emissions at the Antwerp site by up to 150,000 tonnes a year.

In 2023, TotalEnergies and Air Liquide have signed an agreement for the long-term supply of green, low-carbon hydrogen to the Gonfreville platform in Normandy. The project will supply 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year to the TotalEnergies platform in Normandy, and up to 5,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen from the second half of 2026. It comprises two integrated components:

• The production of green, low-carbon hydrogen by the Normandy electrolyzer, built and operated by Air Liquide, with a total electrical capacity of 200 MW. TotalEnergies will have access to half of this production capacity, corresponding to the quantity of hydrogen delivered to its refinery.
• The supply by TotalEnergies of around 700 GWh per year of renewable, low-carbon electricity to power Air Liquide's 100 MW electrolyzer, a volume corresponding to the share of hydrogen delivered to the TotalEnergies Normandy refinery.

In June 2024, TotalEnergies and Air Products announced an agreement for the annual supply of 70,000 tonnes of green hydrogen to the Refining & Chemicals sites in Europe for a period of 15 years from 2030. This green hydrogen will be produced from green ammonia imported by Air Products and will reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 700,000 tonnes of CO₂e per year.

In Germany, TotalEnergies and VNG, a German natural gas distribution company, signed an agreement in June 2023 to supply green hydrogen to the TotalEnergies Leuna refinery. The green hydrogen will be produced using renewable electricity from a 30 MW electrolyzer built and operated by VNG and its partner Uniper. This agreement will contribute to the emissions reduction of the Leuna refinery by reducing GHG emissions by up to 80,000 tons of CO₂e per year by 2030.

Also in Germany, TotalEnergies signed an agreement with RWE in March 2025 for the long-term supply of 30,000 tons per year of green hydrogen to its Leuna refinery. The green hydrogen will be produced by a 300 MW electrolyzer built and operated by RWE in Lingen. Delivered via a 600 km pipeline to the Leuna refinery, which must be implemented by the German authorities, it will avoid the emission of around 300,000 tons of CO₂e per year, from 2030 onwards.