Enerfip in Freewheeling Day 1 · False start!

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I'm Mathias, partnership manager at Enerfip and I'll be your dedicated guide for the first post in this travel diary at the heart of the energy transition!

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Day 1 – A flying start for the hydrogen site

3, 2, 1… Here we go! Monday morning, the first day of this famous week that promises to be sporty!

The first part of the team meets at Montpellier train station with their bikes to take the 11:00 a.m. train sharp, heading to Toulouse.

But what would a road trip be without a hitch? We started strong this morning! Not having anticipated the challenge that represents taking the train with 5 bikes, we couldn't get on board!

At Enerfip, we rely on teamwork and today, just like we do every day, we kept one thing in mind: every problem has a solution! Plan B (or C, I don't remember), we had to urgently rent a small utility vehicle to allow us to transport the bikes. In the meantime, I jumped on the train with my 2 colleagues while the last 2 and our videographer headed – slowly but surely – towards Toulouse at the wheel of an electric car.

No real choice: when you plan such a long journey and a videographer with his equipment, you also have to have a vehicle ready to transport any potential injured people, additional or damaged bikes, repair equipment and first aid kit.

And if our colleagues in the car thought they would get a little rest, they were out of luck! Because taking an electric car is good, being able to recharge it is better! Between the few charging stations and the (way) overstuffed trunk, we had to fill up... 3 times!

Finally, after some thought, that's more or less what we're looking for with Enerfip en roue libre 2022: the challenge, and the first day set the bar very high!

2 p.m. – Feeling a bit tired? First stop at the Hyport hydrogen site

Did you know that our beautiful Occitanie region is a major player in the development of renewable energies? Since 2021, the Region has implemented a "Green Hydrogen Plan". The objective? To deploy green hydrogen in our region by 2030, that is to say in just 8 years. A date that will arrive much sooner than we think !

It was in this context that the hydrogen station at Toulouse Blagnac Airport was designed. To continue the day well, we arrived two hours late to visit the station, installed both on the tarmac and in the public area of ​​the airport.

Hey Mathias, what is hydrogen?
So, let's go back a few years to chemistry class. Open your books to page 135! Hydrogen is an extremely simple chemical element: it is found in great abundance in our universe in the form of a very light gas. However, this hydrogen is not found in its raw state, and an industrial process is necessary to dissociate it from other chemical elements.

The project, named Hyport - you will have grasped the pun born from the contraction of "hydrogen" and "airport" - will be used to power light commercial vehicles as well as four airport shuttles. In addition to this use, which will avoid fuel consumption for short journeys made several times a day, green hydrogen will also be used in aeronautics and for industrial purposes.

Special Envoy! Discover the interview with Christelle Guillon, Hydrogen/Innovation Project Manager at AREC.

The station will be commissioned in a few weeks! The company wants to develop several green hydrogen projects, and – scoop from your special correspondent– a similar installation is planned for other airports in the region, such as Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées.

Read the article on the project

Let's get back in the saddle!

Come on, let's get back on our bikes and we resume our journey. No time to hang around, it's already 5 p.m.! After our warm-up this morning, we're ready for the 44 km that awaits us – heads down – to reach our accommodation in Beauteville!