A local and long-term anchor of the HEF Group in the St-Etienne region
This acquisition enables HEF to effectively carry out its research in hydrogen technology, particularly in the area of coating bipolar plates (components of the hydrogen fuel cell stacks). An innovation that enables HEF to reduce the actual cost by 50%, and thus make hydrogen mobility accessible to many, many, more people.
In the first phase, these coatings will equip the fuel cell stacks that provide decarbonized energy for commercial vehicles; in the second phase for trains, and mass-transit vehicles.
This launch was made possible thanks to the support of the City of Saint-Etienne and of the French government via France 2030, investment aid in the amount of €7 million for €40 million invested.
The purpose of the plant is to power the European continent since these bipolar plates will be sold primarily in the European markets (France and Germany) before future deployment of other plants in the US, China, Japan, and South Korea.
The objective is to create an industrial showcase with annual turnover between €30 and €40 million in the 2028-2030 horizon and to generate one hundred jobs.
