The French hydrogen producer Lhyfe and the industrial gases company Messer have agreed on a comprehensive partnership. Messer is acquiring a 30 percent stake in the company that holds four production sites for renewable hydrogen from Lhyfe. Three of these sites are located in France, one in Germany. In parallel, the companies are entering into a supply contract with a ten-year term. The completion of the transaction is expected in the coming months and is still subject to the approval of the lenders.
Minimum purchase agreed
As part of the agreement, Messer commits to a minimum purchase quantity, which according to the company will gradually increase and reach several hundred tons per year. Furthermore, Messer aims to purchase half of the production from the three French sites, according to the announcement. The hydrogen sourced is to be partly RFNBO-certified (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) and integrated into Messer's product portfolio. Messer intends to contribute its expertise in safety, operations, logistics, and sales to the sites.
First capital rotation for Lhyfe
Messer brings decades of expertise in hydrogen technologies, applications, logistics, and gas distribution, while Lhyfe has established itself as a developer and operator of renewable hydrogen production facilities. According to Lhyfe, the agreement represents the first capital rotation within its business with electrolysis plants. The company will continue to fully consolidate the affected company and remain the exclusive operator of the sites. Lhyfe will continue to charge the site companies for operational and management services. The company intends to use the revenue to focus resources on more advanced projects.
Messer will contribute its expertise in industrial gases, particularly in the areas of safety, operations, logistics, gas handling, customer relations, and sales of various gases. This partnership is intended to further strengthen the performance and resilience of the sites and contribute to their commercial expansion.
“The decision of a globally leading industrial gas company like Messer, with more than 125 years of experience, to join us sends a strong signal to the entire industry,” says Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe. “It confirms both the strength of our business model and the increasing spread of renewable hydrogen across all industrial sectors.” Messer has been a customer of Lhyfe for several years.
Peter Mohnen, CEO of Messer SE & Co. KGaA, explains: “By securing access to significant quantities of renewable hydrogen, we strengthen our ability to support the decarbonization goals of our customers and potential customers in a variety of industries. The demand for renewable hydrogen continues to rise, and the geographically diversified production presence of these sites enables us to optimize supply chains, shorten transport routes, and reduce transport-related emissions.”
Background on the companies
According to its own information, Lhyfe opened the world's first industrial production facility for green hydrogen directly connected to a wind farm in 2021. In 2022, a pilot platform for offshore production followed. According to its own information, Lhyfe has been Europe's largest producer of RFNBO bulk hydrogen through water electrolysis since September 2025. The company employed around 188 people at the end of 2025 and is listed on Euronext in Paris. Messer was founded in 1898, is majority-owned by the founding family, and generated consolidated sales of around 4.5 billion euros in 2025.
