The French hydrogen producer Lhyfe officially opened its first commercial production plant in Germany on October 14, 2025, in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The event was attended by Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Environmental Minister Thekla Walker, Mayor Richard Arnold, and representatives of the European Commission. The site is the company’s fourth and at the same time the first outside France.
Four tonnes of green hydrogen daily
The new facility has an installed capacity of ten megawatts and can produce up to four tonnes of renewable hydrogen per day. The hydrogen is produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity. To ensure the origin of the electricity, the company has concluded PPA contracts with German renewable energy producers, including EDPR. According to the company, this amount is sufficient to operate daily around 100 trucks for about 400 kilometers CO2-free each.
The entire plant is built on one hectare of land and designed in modular container construction. The modules include all technical processes, from water treatment through electrolysis and purification to compression and filling of the hydrogen. Lhyfe has concluded electricity supply contracts with several German renewable energy producers to ensure fully sustainable production.
RFNBO certification according to EU standard
The
production site received RFNBO certification for renewable fuels of non-biological origin in September 2025. This certification confirms that the production meets the requirements of the European Renewable Energy Directive and the environmental criteria of the EU Taxonomy. The certificate enables the manufacturer’s customers to count the produced hydrogen toward national and European subsidy programs.
Funding and regional significance
The project is part of the “H2-Wandel – Modellregion Grüner Wasserstoff Baden-Württemberg.” It is supported by the state with 2.1 million euros and additionally with 4.3 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund. According to Environmental Minister Thekla Walker, Baden-Württemberg is thereby to take an active role in the international hydrogen market.
Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann described the plant as an important step in the ramp-up of hydrogen technology in the state. Mayor Richard Arnold emphasized that Schwäbisch Gmünd would become a regional hub for green hydrogen with the ten-megawatt electrolyser.
Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg (project sponsor): “With the electrolyser in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg takes an important step in the ramp-up of hydrogen technology. The flagship project, funded by the state, sends a strong signal: We are ready for a sustainable future.”
Hydrogen for
industry and transport
The produced hydrogen is supplied for industrial applications as well as for the mobility sector. A supply contract with the fuel station operator H2 Mobility has already been concluded. In addition, the site is intended to supply the planned hydrogen industrial area “H2-Aspen” as well as a nearby distribution station. For industrial customers, the renewable hydrogen offers a CO2-free alternative to fossil natural gas or grey hydrogen, according to Lhyfe. In particular the chemical, steel, and glass industries are expected to benefit from this supply.
Logistics and experience in Germany
Lhyfe has been active in Germany since 2020 with a subsidiary and has already operated a first unit in Baden-Württemberg on behalf of Deutsche Bahn as part of the project “H2goesRail.” Since 2023 the company has regularly supplied renewable hydrogen to customers in Germany. In 2024 Lhyfe carried out over 470 deliveries in Europe with a service rate of 99 percent.
For transport the provider uses a fleet of 70 so-called tube trailers with a capacity of between 380 and 1,000 kilograms of hydrogen per unit. Thus, Lhyfe has one of the largest mobile hydrogen fleets in Europe.
Luc Graré, Head of Central and
Eastern Europe at Lhyfe: “We are proud to inaugurate here in Baden-Württemberg Lhyfe’s first facility outside France – in a federal state that has consistently worked in recent years to become a model for the use of renewable hydrogen. With our three units in operation and one of the most modern logistics structures in Europe, we have demonstrated our operational capability. We are now ready to open a new chapter in Lhyfe’s history in Germany to deliver steadily increasing quantities and, in the long term, also develop on-site production facilities to meet major needs – similar to the projects we are already implementing in several European countries.”
What does this mean?
With the commissioning of the Schwäbisch Gmünd plant, hydrogen production in Germany is gaining speed. In the mid term, this could open up new procurement options – especially as the availability of green hydrogen and the number of refueling stations continues to rise.
At the same time, it remains to be seen how quickly production costs fall and whether political framework conditions promote nationwide use. For only when price, infrastructure, and supply security come together can hydrogen become a realistic alternative for climate-neutral commercial vehicle fleets.
