WHHYN

The WHHYN project and its extension towards the Franco-Belgian market is the first open-access cross-border hydrogen transport grid between France and Belgium.

• The first phase of this project, WHHYN, is being carried out in partnership with the Belgian natural gas carrier Fluxys and will link the Valenciennes area, where both production and consumption projects are located, with the industrial zone of Mons.
• The second phase will be aimed at furthering the integration of the European market by developing an interconnection in Taisnières, the historic interconnection point of the gas grids, to serve new uses in the Paris Region.
• The third phase will link this project with mosaHYc and HY-FEN in the Grand Est Region, with a view to integrating the North-West European market.

This project received financial support from the Hauts-de-France region and Valenciennes Métropole for the feasibility study phase.

Use during the first phase will essentially be industrial for the replacement of fossil hydrogen and gas with renewable, low-carbon hydrogen.

The purpose of subsequent phases will be to respond to other industrial uses, but also to mobility uses (in particular air mobility in Ile-de-France).

• Q2 2022: Call for interest for the cross-border hydrogen grid project, coordinated with Fluxys.
• 10/2022: Feasibility study initiated after the successful call for interest amongst industrial players. Study carried out with financial support from the Hauts-de-France Region.
• Q2 2023: Feasibility study ends

• 2024: Basic engineering studies start on the WHHYN scope (Valenciennes Mons).
• 2028: WHHYN Project planned go-live date.
• 2024: Start of studies to link WHHYN to the Ile-de-France Region.
• 2030: Commissioning of Phase 2 of the Project to the Ile-de-France Region.
• 2034: Commissioning of Phase 3 of the project to the Grand Est Region.

Phase 1:

• Length: 40 km in France for Phase 1, 465 km for the extension.
• Interconnection capacity of WHHYN project (Valenciennes-Mons): Approximately 24 GWh/d.
• 300 to 600 MW cumulative production by electrolysis.
• Between 1.5 and 3 TWh of H2 consumption planned.

Phase 2:

• Length 200 km to connect Taisnières and Valenciennes to the Ile-de-France.
• Capacity: 60 GWh/d (of which 36 GWh/d at Taisnières).

Phase 3 :

• Length: 265 km to connect the project to the Grand Est Region.
• Capacity: 84 GWh/d.

According to an initial assessment, this project could contribute to averting 9.9 Mt CO₂eq/year in emissions.