France-headed green hydrogen pioneer Lhyfe has announced that it that its 1 MW Bouin site in Vendée has obtained Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) certification making it the first RFNBO-certified hydrogen production site in France. With this certificate, customers can now provide proof of the sustainability of the molecule purchased, and qualify for the national and European incentive schemes currently being introduced.
Lhyfe’s first batch of RFNBO-certified hydrogen from Bouin was delivered to Les Sables d’Olonne, Vendée, on May 28, 2025.
The long-awaited approval by the European Commission, at the end of 2024, of the first “certification schemes” for RFNBO hydrogen enabled the company to start taking steps towards its certification.
According to the company, RFNBO certification guarantees that the production and distribution chain for green hydrogen meets the strict criteria defined by the European Union, including production by electrolysis of water, use of 100 percent renewable electricity, calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the entire life cycle of the hydrogen, including those resulting from delivery, and complies with EU sustainability requirements.
More sites undergoing RFNBO-certification
Lhyfe is now in the process of obtaining certification for its already operational French sites in Bessières, Haute-Garonne, and Buléon, Morbihan. Its German site in Schwäbisch Gmünd is planned to be certified shortly afterwards.
As well as offering reassurance to customers, who can now obtain an EU guarantee that the hydrogen they purchase is sustainable and capable of efficiently reducing carbon intensity, this certification will also help clients reduce their carbon footprint and obtain the incentives that are gradually being put in place in France to develop supply and demand for sustainable fuels.
The market has been waiting impatiently for RFNBO hydrogen to be available in France, and that is now the case. We are now in the process of certifying our two other French sites and our German site, and are continuing our roll-out to offer fully traceable green hydrogen to all of industry and mobility across Europe, to help them decarbonise their activities, in a completely transparent manner, commented Matthieu Guesné, Founder and CEO of Lhyfe.
Cooperation with three partners
To obtain RFNBO certification, Lhyfe worked with three partners:
- Atmen, whose platform has for several months now been enabling Lhyfe to achieve a level of traceability with “unprecedented accuracy and granularity.” This integrated compliance automation platform connects to Lhyfe’s entire supply chain, to consolidate data concerning production inputs – in an exhaustive, automated, and real-time way – and to provide highly accurate and totally transparent carbon intensity calculation reports. In addition to its ability to provide customers with automated digital certificates, this high-precision tool is open to all certification partners to simplify this complex process.
- CertifHy, whose CertifHy EU RFNBO Scheme, which is the result of a meticulous interpretation of European regulations and in-depth investigation and definition work with the industry, was among the first to be approved by the European Commission. Developed by experts in the hydrogen sector and in close collaboration with economic operators (producers, transporters, etc.) via the CertifHy Stakeholder Platform, it has established itself as the benchmark for RFNBO certification.
- Tüv Süd – one of the first certification bodies to be authorised to certify companies under the CertifHy certification scheme – operates throughout Europe. This is an advantage for Lhyfe, which is present in 11 European countries and has a 9.1 GW project pipeline.
