Alstom and ENGIE Sign a Partnership to Supply Renewable Hydrogen to a Fuel Cell System for Rail Freight in Europe

Alstom and ENGIE sign a partnership to supply renewable hydrogen to a fuel cell system for rail freight in Europe.

Alstom and ENGIE have signed a partnership agreement to offer the rail freight sector a solution for decarbonising line locomotives from renewable hydrogen, replacing diesel-powered locomotives.

Under the terms of the partnership, Alstom, a pioneer in the field of hydrogen-powered rolling stock, is designing a hydrogen solution from a high-power fuel cell system that can power electric locomotives in non-electrified sectors.

ENGIE, leader in the energy transition and pioneer of renewable gases, provides renewable hydrogen for this solution through the deployment of an innovative supply chain.

This partnership will provide a low-carbon, zero-emission solution to climate, environmental and public health challenges, including on non-electrified branch lines and branch lines. The target market is that of the major European rail freight countries.

A partnership that has already proven its worth

Alstom and ENGIE share the ambition to put hydrogen at the heart of the decarbonisation of the rail sector. This has already been successfully demonstrated in the test of the Coradia iLint passenger train held in March 2020 in the province of Groningen, the Netherlands, during which renewable hydrogen was used to recharge the train.

For Alstom, this partnership is a continuation of its Alstom in Motion 2025 strategic plan as well as its hydrogen strategy initiated in 2013 with the development of the Coradia iLint train and completed in 2021 with the acquisition of fuel cell manufacturer Helion Hydrogen Power.

Raphaël Bernardelli, Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Alstom, said:

Our ambition is to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen in the rail industry and to develop innovative solutions for the greening of heavy mobility, including rail freight.

“To develop the hydrogen sector, it is necessary to mobilize all the actors in this sector. This is the meaning of our partnership with ENGIE.”

For ENGIE, this partnership is part of its ambitions to produce renewable hydrogen with a capacity of 4 GW by 2030, in particular for the supply of heavy mobility markets.

Sébastien Arbola, ENGIE’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Thermal Production, Hydrogen & Energy Supply activities, said:

After successfully supplying the Coradia iLint during the trial in the Netherlands in 2020, we are delighted to continue with Alstom to accelerate the decarbonisation of the heavy mobility market by combining our respective expertise with the service of European rail freight.

“This partnership marks the achievement of a new stage in the development of renewable hydrogen solutions and the construction of a carbon-free economy.”

ENGIE, accelerator of the renewable hydrogen economy

ENGIE is a pioneer in the development of an industrial-scale hydrogen economy. Our ambition is to support industry and mobility players in achieving their carbon neutrality objectives.

With more than 200 experts entirely dedicated to hydrogen, we are a long-term partner for our customers and secure every step of their project, from the design to the operation of projects of several GW.

By 2030, we plan to:

• develop a renewable hydrogen production capacity of 4 GW,
• have 700 km of dedicated hydrogen networks and 1 TWh of storage capacity,
• manage more than 100 charging stations.

Our portfolio of renewable capabilities, our developed expertise in hydrogen mobility and our renewable hydrogen production projects on an industrial scale make us one of the most integrated energy companies in the hydrogen value chain.

In heavy mobility, ENGIE has been working since 2019 to decarbonise activities in the mining sector.

This is particularly the case with the Hydra consortium in Chile, or with Anglo American in South Africa where we are developing global decarbonization solutions from renewable hydrogen for the first mining trucks running on this energy.

Alstom, pioneer of zero-emission mobility

Alstom, the world leader in green and smart mobility, has been developing a portfolio of zero-emission mobility solutions for several years and has launched an ambitious innovation programme on batteries and hydrogen.

Alstom has been particularly involved since 2013 around the launch of a regional train equipped with hydrogen fuel cells: the Coradia iLint.

Two first 100% hydrogen iLint trains were put into commercial service in 2018 in Germany and, to date, 41 trains have been ordered by two German Landers and successful experiments have taken place in Austria, the Netherlands (with ENGIE), Poland, Sweden and France.

In 2021, France also entered the circle of “founding countries” with an order by SNCF for 12 trains (+ 2 options) of Coradia Polyvalent Regiolis bi-mode (electric traction / catenary and hydrogen / fuel cells) on behalf of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie regions.

In 2021, Alstom continued to build an ecosystem for its hydrogen rail offering, signing partnership agreements with players such as Liebherr – Aerospace & Transportation SAS, Hynamics and Plastic Omnium. Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.

Alstom has also invested €6 million in a new industrial platform for the manufacture of hydrogen fuel cells at Alstom Hydrogen’s site in Aix-en-Provence.

Alstom™, Coradia™, Coradia iLint™, Coradia Polyvalent™ and Alstom Hydrogen™ are registered trademarks of the Alstom Group.

Highlights:

• The partnership concerns the implementation of logistics and renewable hydrogen refuelling solutions for a fuel cell system that can power electric locomotives on non-electrified portions of the grid.
• The common ambition of the two companies is to provide a solution for the decarbonisation of rail freight, combining Alstom’s expertise in hydrogen rail solutions and ENGIE’s expertise in the production and distribution of renewable hydrogen.

Alstom and ENGIE sign a partnership for the supply of renewable hydrogen to a fuel cell system for rail freight in Europe, April 6, 2022