December 2024: The French government has launched its first clean hydrogen tender under a Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, offering subsidies of up to €4 per kilogram for 15 years. This initiative aims to support hydrogen production using renewable and nuclear energy sources, primarily for industrial applications. The tender, closing on March 14, 2025, targets electrolytic hydrogen projects between 5MW and 100MW, with a cumulative limit of 200MW. Up to 12 projects will be selected based on their technical and financial capabilities, with the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) overseeing the process.
February 2021: On 17 February 2021, the French Government enacted Ordinance 2021-167 related to the hydrogen sector, as foreseen in the National Hydrogen Strategy encompassed in the national France Relance recovery plan. The ordinance clarifies the definition of three types of hydrogen: renewable, low-carbon, and with carbon emissions.
Source: IEG.ORG-Ordinance 2021-167 related to hydrogen
September 2020: The French government has launched a USD 8.2 billion national hydrogen strategy, which includes a target to develop the capacity to produce hydrogen from non-fossil sources via 6.5 GW of electrolysis by 2030.
Source: French National Hydrogen Strategy
November 2019: New Energy-Climate law amending the French Energy Code was signed by the French president. Besides setting a target to be carbon-neutral by 2050, the new law also relates to hydrogen, including targets for low carbon and renewable hydrogen to be 20% to 40% of total consumption of hydrogen and industrial hydrogen by 2030.
Source: Energy Code
June 2018: The government announced its Hydrogen Deployment Plan for Energy Transition. The plan includes EUR 100 million funding and goals relating to decarbonized / "green" hydrogen in industrial applications - 10% by 2023 and 20% to 40% by 2028 - and increasing the number of hydrogen commercial and heavy vehicles and charging stations.
Source: French Hydrogen Deployment Plan for Energy Transition