France is moving ahead with one of its largest planned hydrogen transport infrastructure projects, as the HY-FEN hydrogen pipeline prepares to enter a 12-week public consultation beginning on September 28, 2026.

Led by French gas transmission system operator NaTran, the project aims to create an approximately 800-kilometre hydrogen transport corridor linking Fos-sur-Mer in southern France with Erching in Moselle, close to the German border.

With an estimated cost of €3.6 billion, HY-FEN is intended to connect hydrogen production and consumption centres across France while supporting the development of a wider European hydrogen network.

800-Kilometre Hydrogen Corridor

HY-FEN will run from Fos-sur-Mer in the Bouches-du-Rhône to Erching in Moselle, crossing five French regions: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Occitanie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est.

The planned infrastructure is expected to have the capacity to transport up to 2 million tonnes of hydrogen per year.

According to NaTran, the project is designed to connect hydrogen producers with industrial consumers and storage facilities while linking regional hydrogen initiatives along its route.

The corridor is also intended to form part of a broader European hydrogen infrastructure, extending connections towards neighbouring countries and supporting the development of a renewable and low-carbon hydrogen market.

Public Consultation Begins in September

The next major stage for the project will be public consultation.

The National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) has approved the consultation arrangements, with the process scheduled to run from September 28 to December 20, 2026. The consultation will cover the five regions crossed by the project and will provide an opportunity for local communities, businesses, organisations and other stakeholders to provide input.

The consultation will consider issues including the proposed project corridor, its integration with local economies and territories, and its environmental and broader socio-economic impacts.

Four independent guarantors have been appointed under the CNDP process to oversee the quality, transparency and impartiality of the consultation.

Supporting France’s Hydrogen Infrastructure

HY-FEN is being developed at a time when France and the wider European Union are expanding infrastructure intended to support the production, transport and use of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.

The project is designed to help decarbonise industrial areas located along its route, particularly energy-intensive sectors that are difficult to electrify directly.

NaTran also sees the infrastructure as a way to strengthen connections between regional hydrogen projects and create a more integrated transport network.

The project forms part of the broader European ambition to establish interconnected hydrogen infrastructure linking production areas, industrial demand centres and neighbouring countries.

From Planning to Future Infrastructure Development

The public consultation represents an important step before the project can progress through subsequent development and implementation stages.

For a project of this scale, the development phase involves much more than pipeline construction. It can generate future requirements across engineering, environmental studies, pipeline systems, hydrogen infrastructure, construction, monitoring, safety and associated technical services.

NaTran notes that major hydrogen transport infrastructure projects typically pass through several preliminary study stages before construction, including opportunity studies and processes to identify potential hydrogen producers and consumers.

A Major Hydrogen Infrastructure Project for France

With an estimated investment of €3.6 billion and a planned route of around 800 kilometres, HY-FEN represents a significant development in France's emerging hydrogen transport network.

The project is intended to connect southern France with the country's eastern border while creating links between regional hydrogen ecosystems and wider European infrastructure.

As the public consultation begins in September, HY-FEN moves into an important stage of development that will help shape the future route and implementation of one of Europe's major planned hydrogen transport corridors.

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