The European Commission supports the Dijon metropolis hydrogen project
François Rebsamen accompanied by the representative of the Banque des Territoires
Credit: RD
Twenty-seven hydrogen buses will be able to operate from 2023 on the Divia Mobilités network, operator of public transport in the Dijon metropolis. This deployment is in line with Dijon Métropole’s objective of converting the entire fleet of buses in its public transport network, as well as its household garbage dumpsters.
As part of a virtuous ecosystem unprecedented in France based on the recycling of household waste and the region’s renewable energies, these buses will be powered by local hydrogen produced in short circuits. The construction of two hydrogen infrastructures are thus planned in the municipality of Dijon:
– a Dijon-Nord station, located next to the Energy Recovery Unit, will produce and distribute approximately 440 kilograms per day of green hydrogen to vehicles, in particular thanks to a nearby 12 hectare photovoltaic farm,
– the Dijon-Sud station, located on an operation and maintenance site for buses and trams in the Dijon metropolitan area, will produce and distribute around 880 kilograms of green hydrogen to project vehicles.
On these two sites, hydrogen will be produced in a clean way by a process of electrolysis of water supplied by electricity produced by recycling waste from the metropolis of Dijon. By structuring a local energy policy and clean mobility, Dijon Métropole aims to become the leading hydrogen metropolis in France and a model of territorial ecological transition.
“With this project, we are financing a green future for Europe! The European Union supports this initiative of Dijon Métropole which contributes very concretely to the realization of the Green Pact for Europe. This action is part of the projects co-financed by the European Union with the aim of promoting alternative fuels. The use of “green” hydrogen for public transport is part of a sustainable and carbon-free mobility approach for European citizens “, said Dirk Beckers, Director of the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA).
The Banque des Territoires is supporting Dijon Métropole with a Mobi Loan of € 5 million over a period of 15 years at a fixed rate on resources from the European Investment Bank. This offer dedicated to the modernization of transport infrastructure gives priority to projects linked to environmentally friendly mobility, as is the case with the one carried out by Dijon Métropole. Through this loan, the Banque des Territoires thus contributes to the revival of activity and to the ecological and energy transition of the territory.
“In Dijon, the Banque des Territoires wants to facilitate the emergence of a hydrogen sector and the deployment of hydrogen mobility solutions, for more sustainable territories. Hydrogen is an important axis of investment for the Banque des Territoires in the years to come and one of the major challenges of the Caisse des Dépôts recovery plan that it is implementing. »Emphasizes Olivier Sichel, director of Banque des Territoires.
For François Rebsamen, mayor of Dijon, president of Dijon metropolis and former Minister of Labor: “We are inventing in Dijon a territorial energy system that has never been seen before in France. Hydrogen combines all the assets to meet the challenge of energy transition for green growth. The support of the European Commission and the Banque des Territoires for this energy project confirms Dijon in its status as a driving force in terms of clean hydrogen mobility on a national and European scale. Thanks to this alternative energy which produces no noise, no greenhouse gases and no particles, Dijon Métropole reaffirms its commitment to the fight against climate change, to protect the planet, future generations and the health of the people of Dijon. “.
The grants come from the CEF – Transport – Blending facility call for projects launched in November 2019 as part of the Interconnection Mechanism in Europe1 which aims to facilitate the deployment of alternative fuels within the European Union by drawing on the expertise of long-term European investors.
To this end, the European Commission in France of the know-how and the territorial knowledge of the Caisse des Dépôts which, via the Territories Bank, provides funding and expertise in the structuring of projects, which allow the Commission to s ” ensure that grants target the most viable projects and play their driving role. This new role of partner of the European Commission is complementary to the mission of financing the territories of the Banque des Territoires. This type of call for projects has already demonstrated its effectiveness and will be carried out in 2021.