Almost three years ago, the French company Lhyfe, specializing in the production of environmentally friendly hydrogen, announced the launch of Europe’s first offshore hydrogen production pilot project and the receipt of subsidies for a second project called Hope in Belgium.

The Hope project was initially scheduled to start in 2026. However, the implementation of this pilot project in Belgium has been canceled, and a new timeline will be set once a different site is selected. Currently, the company is searching for a new port to host the project, considering options along Germany’s northern coast. The main reason for the postponement was the Belgian permitting system, which did not allow for the necessary conditions to be created for the project’s realization.

In 2023, the Belgian government planned to allocate 13 million euros to the Hope project, while the European Union was to provide 20 million euros through the Horizon Europe program. At the same time, direct replacement of Belgian funding by Germany is not a mandatory condition for the project to continue. If no additional subsidies are provided, the costs are expected to be shared with another industrial partner.

Previously, Lhyfe had already completed its first offshore pilot project—the Sealhyfe installation with a capacity of 1 megawatt in the Bay of Biscay, which operated for six months in 2023. The output of this installation was comparable to similar onshore facilities.

The Hope project was originally designed for two years of offshore hydrogen production, as well as for testing the export of hydrogen to shore via pipeline.