Contributing to green mobility from household waste

Built and operated by H2 Créteil, a company that gathers SUEZ, SIPEnR, a subsidiary of SIPPEREC, and the Banque des Territoires, the future plant will use the electricity generated by the incineration of household waste from the 19 communes² of the SMITDUVM to produce renewable hydrogen by electrolysis of water. SUEZ, which operates the Créteil energy-from-waste facility, is providing the land on which the hydrogen production and distribution equipment will be installed. The SUEZ group will also supply the water and renewable electricity required for hydrogen production. Alongside the semi-public company SIPEnR, which will contribute its expertise in legal structuring in addition to its financial participation, SUEZ will finance the majority of the project and manage the construction of the station. Banque des Territoires, Groupe Caisse des Dépôts, an implementing partner of the European Commission's CEF Transport Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility programme, is providing the remainder of the project's equity requirements.

By 2025, the station will produce 1 tonne of renewable hydrogen per day. Eventually, it will be able to double its production and distribute up to two tonnes per day.

With this new infrastructure, the Syndicat mixte de traitement des déchets urbains du Val-de-Marne (SMITDUVM) is actively contributing to the region's energy transition.

The tonne of renewable hydrogen produced and distributed daily at the H2 Créteil site will supply heavy public and municipal vehicle fleets (buses, waste collection trucks, lorries, commercial vehicles, etc.) as well as light private vehicles. Once operational, the station will supply hydrogen to an entire Île-de-France Mobilité bus line operated by RATP and, in the future, to the waste collection trucks of Grand-Paris Sud-Est Avenir and neighbouring areas.

The Créteil site is ideally suited to the development of hydrogen mobility. Its geographical location is a major advantage: it's close to a major road junction (A86, RN 6 and RN 406) and numerous commercial areas. It's also only a dozen kilometres from Paris. As a result, hydrogen-powered vehicles will be able to operate in the low emission zone of the Greater Paris area and beyond without any pollution at the vehicle's exhaust system.

This project, involving the SMITDUVM and H2 Créteil, is one of the first to produce hydrogen locally from renewable sources at a price competitive with diesel. It will prevent the emission of around 1,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. 

This hydrogen plant is part of the development plan launched several years ago by SMITDUVM at its Créteil energy-from-waste facility to improve its environmental performance. It complements the site's energy recovery, which already produces heat for Créteil's district heating network and electricity for sale to the public grid. This project is supported and financed by ADEME, the Ile-de-France Region and the European Commission. It illustrates the determination of local authorities to develop alternative energies in order to accelerate their ecological transition. 

It is also in line with the French Hydrogen Plan, which aims to invest €7 billion in the development of this energy of the future between now and 2030 in order to create jobs, improve air quality and combat climate change.

Axel Urgin, President of the Syndicat Mixte de Traitement des Déchets Urbains du Val-de-Marne (SMITDUVM): 
“In recent years, the Créteil energy-from-waste facility has undergone major changes to increase its capacity and transform it into a state-of-the-art industrial facility.  Its model is based on the best possible treatment of waste through energy recovery.  Our future hydrogen station, produced from green electricity and adapted to the mobility of the future, is fully in line with this logic of sustainable development, the only possible response to the climatic challenges already facing our planet.”

Florence Crocheton-Boyer, President of SIPEnR: 
“SIPEnR works with local authorities to implement the energy transition. In Créteil, we are pooling our engineering resources with SUEZ and the Banque des Territoires to offer residents and businesses a concrete, innovative and ambitious low-carbon mobility solution.”

Laurent Cathala, Chairman of Grand Paris Sud Est Avenir, Mayor of Créteil:
“Energy production and distribution are major issues for the region and its population. That's why the City of Créteil and Grand Paris Sud Est Avenir have long been committed to environmental and climate issues. We have therefore strongly supported the development of local green energy production, in particular geothermal energy and heat from waste incineration at the Valo'Marne energy-from-waste facility, which currently supply our district heating network with over 80% renewable energy. This strategy is gaining further momentum with the construction of France's largest renewable hydrogen production station at Créteil. Hydrogen is one of the keys to the energy transition: by replacing fossil fuels, it will make it possible to power vehicles without emitting greenhouse gases or polluting the air we breathe. This local synergy will maximise the environmental benefits of the hydrogen produced, increase our energy independence and create many jobs for the future in our city and region.”

Richard Curnier, Ile-de-France Regional Director of the Banque des Territoires:
"Banque des Territoires is particularly committed to projects aimed at decarbonising mobility. H2 Créteil is an exemplary local green hydrogen production project in which we are taking a partnership approach with our co-shareholders SUEZ and SIPEnR and, more generally, with all the local authorities supporting the project.”