France still needs renewables for green hydrogen rollout – Lhyfe
Country’s buildout of renewables must continue despite ability to meet EU green criteria through use of nuclear power, French developer argues
France will still need to build out renewable power to facilitate green hydrogen projects, despite the electricity grid’s heavy reliance on nuclear, says Matthieu Guesne, CEO of French hydrogen developer Lhyfe. The European Commission recently published rules that would remove the ‘additionality’ requirements for green hydrogen in power bidding zones in countries with power grids emission intensity of electricity lower than 18g of CO₂e/MJ. France’s nationwide bidding zone meets this criteria, thanks largely to a nuclear fleet that provides more than two-thirds of the country’s power, Guesne says. But projects in France would still need to sign power-purchase agreements with renewable produce
Also in this section
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
18 February 2026
Norwegian energy company has dropped a major hydrogen project and paused its CCS expansion plans as demand fails to materialise






