Airbus has inked a deal with HyPort – a joint venture between ENGIE Solutions and the Regional Agency for Energy and Climate in Occitanie (AREC) to support the development of a low-carbon hydrogen supply at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France.

Construction of the hydrogen station at Toulouse was completed earlier this year with the production, storage and distribution systems currently undergoing final testing. Slated to enter into service in early 2023, the station will have the capacity to produce around 400kg of hydrogen per day, providing the possibility to power some 50 ground transportation vehicles.

Airbus is working with HyPort to expand these hydrogen fuelled ground operations, adapting production and distribution means, as well as the infrastructure capacity, to cope with the expected increase in hydrogen demand in the coming years. The partnership will also allow a blueprint to be drawn up outlining requirements and providing guidance on safety of operations, regulatory compliance and the financial investment needed for the widespread use of hydrogen at airports.

“Our involvement with HyPort demonstrates the tangible progress Airbus is making on its journey to secure the future energy ecosystems of tomorrow,” said Karine Guenan, VP ZEROe Ecosystem, Airbus. “Using hydrogen to decarbonise all airport-associated ground transport in the 2020 to 2030 timeframe will pave the way for hydrogen availability for zero-emission aircraft by 2035.”

This latest collaboration to advance hydrogen production and distribution follows Airbus’ launch of ‘Hydrogen Hub at Airports’ which it launched in 2020 to help airports identify infrastructure requirements for future hydrogen aircraft, as well as low-carbon airport operations, across the entire value chain. The past two years has seen Airbus sign partnerships with a variety of airport authorities, airlines and energy providers in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America.

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