Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Region
Information
Key figures in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
- Regional GDP of €263bn, i.e. 11.5% of the national total
- 8 million inhabitants
- 500,000 industrial jobs
- €7bn R&D expenditure, i.e. 14% of the national total
- 4,400 establishments with foreign investments
Presentation of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is a key region on a national scale as well as on a European scale. With almost 500,000 industrial jobs, it has become the 1st industrial region in France.
With 82% of the total regional R&D expenditure, this industry relies on the skills of the 2nd most innovative region in France. Regional public and private research centres employ over 40,000 researchers (FTE).
Situated on the border with Switzerland and Italy, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region occupies a strategic location as a significant freight hub.
In 2019, in France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was also the 2nd region welcoming foreign investment projects and the 1st region hosting industrial projects.
The hydrogen sector in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes :
- 80% of French players for this industry are located in the region
- 119 regional hydrogen players, of which: 55 companies and 26 research laboratories
- €219M budget in hydrogen R&D of which €102M from public funding
The Hydrogen sector has become a priority for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region which has seen an exceptional concentration of companies from this sector. The region sees this industry as a major challenge for energy transition and air quality.
In this context, it launched the “Zero Emission Valley” project in 2017 with several public and private operators, including Engie and Michelin. The budget for this project includes €70M over 10 years, of which €15M is from regional funding. The aim is to develop the hydrogen mobility market by simultaneously deploying a network of 20 hydrogen charging stations and a fleet of 1,200 fuel cell vehicles. A group of 3 regional companies has been contracted to supply the electrolyzers: McPhy, Atawey, and TSM.
The region has also developed a Hydrogen roadmap, with the stated ambition of making Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes the leading hydrogen region in Europe. This strategy is organized around 4 main axes:
- Develop the production of green hydrogen and deploy markets for hydrogen use
- Strengthen the region's leadership in research, development and innovation
- Intensify European cooperation
- Structure the sector and step up its development
To guarantee the success of this roadmap, the region relies on several key players in the hydrogen sector, more specifically CEA-LITEN. LITEN has become the French and European R&D reference for research on hydrogen technologies, by developing key components for production, storage and conversion.
Our Hydrogen Competitive Hubs:
Ternerris, Axelera and Cara (More information in Territory and Attractiveness)