In Cannes, completion of the first carbon-free hydrogen station using water electrolysis in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region
On Thursday, 24 July 2025, the foundation stone for the ‘Cannes Lérins Hydrogène’ hydrogen station was laid by David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes and President of the Cannes Lérins Urban Community, Christelle Rouillé, Managing Director of Hydynamics (the EDF Group’s hydrogen subsidiary), Thierry Bazin, Deputy Regional Director of the Banque des Territoires, Françoise Bruneteaux, Regional Councillor for the South Region, Charles Ange Ginesy, President of the Alpes-Maritimes Department and SEM Green Energy, and in the presence of Patrick Amoussou-Adéblé, Secretary General of the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture.
The work is scheduled for completion in December 2025. The equipment, which was pre-assembled at another site to save time, is now being installed.
The Cannes basin will then become the leading producer of hydrogen by water electrolysis in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, using treated wastewater from the Aquaviva wastewater treatment plant. The first 14 vehicles in the Palm Bus public transport network will run on locally produced hydrogen from 2026!
In Cannes, the completion of the region’s first green hydrogen station demonstrates that a concrete, science-based energy transition is possible. This virtuous approach embodies an ecology of action rather than rhetoric. To produce this carbon-free hydrogen locally, we will also reuse our treated wastewater. It is through these innovative, sustainable and sovereign achievements that we will meet the climate, economic and energy challenges of the 21st century.
David LISNARD , Mayor of Cannes, President of the Cannes Lérins Urban Community and the Association of Mayors of France, said:
The Cannes Lérins Hydrogen project is a new challenge for Hynamics: it is the first station we are building in an urban area, close to where it will be used.
“Building on our experience in Auxerre and Belfort, we will be able to support the implementation of this ambitious project, which will serve the Cannes area and help decarbonise the mobility of its inhabitants. Hynamics, and through it the EDF Group, is a trusted partner for local authorities in their innovation projects aimed at reducing their carbon footprint.”
Christelle ROUILLE , CEO of Hynamics (a subsidiary of EDF), said:
We are proud to be working alongside our partners on this ambitious carbon-free public transport project led by the Cannes Lérins urban community.
“Ecological and energy transformation is one of the Banque des Territoires’ strategic priorities, and this project is fully in line with our strategy to promote environmentally friendly mobility and, therefore, more sustainable regions.”
Thierry BAZIN , Deputy Regional Director of the Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations), said:
This iconic project embodies the DNA of the departmental GREEN Deal: transforming our ecological challenges into levers for local sovereignty.
“Through our SEM Green Energy 06, we are accelerating a concrete transition: here in Cannes, to produce clean hydrogen from recycled water, and throughout the West, through structural projects (biomass, thalassothermie, biogas, etc.). This station is much more than a technical innovation: it is the symbol of a regional ecology, where every resource – water, sun, know-how – is transformed into energy for the future of our citizens.”
Charles Ange Ginesy , President of the Alpes-Maritimes department and SEM Green Energy
Cannes: a city focused on low-carbon energy for the future
The creation of the low-carbon hydrogen station is part of the complete decarbonisation of the Palm Bus transport network initiated by David Lisnard, complementing the use of electricity and French biofuel. The Cannes Lérins urban area is thus a national benchmark in the development of renewable energies. Through its proactive policy, it has gained the trust of partners Hynamics (an EDF subsidiary and project owner), Banque des Territoires (Caisse des dépôts et consignations) and SEM Green Energy, which are involved in the creation of the clean hydrogen production station.
Ultimately, 41 buses will be powered by this energy source of the future, with the first 14 vehicles hitting the roads in 2026. The station will produce up to 800 kg of low-carbon hydrogen per day and will save around 3,228 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.
The Cannes basin will therefore produce low-carbon, renewable hydrogen locally. It is obtained by electrolysis of water using wastewater treated by the Aquaviva treatment plant – not drinking water. In addition, the electricity consumed by the plant comes from the French low-carbon grid and is 100% covered by guarantees of renewable origin.
This project represents a total investment of €50 million, including the construction of the facility by Hynamics and the purchase of buses. The station (€16 million) is being built by the project company Cannes Lérins Hydrogène, whose co-investors are: Hynamics (51%), the Cannes Lérins Urban Community (25%), Banque des Territoires (20%) and Green Energy 06 (4%), a semi-public company owned by the Alpes-Maritimes department.
The programme is also supported by ADEME as the winner of the ‘Ecosystèmes Territoriaux H2’ call for projects, with €5.026 million in funding, by the European Union via the ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ funding programme, with €2.563 million in funding, and by the Sud PACA Region, with €750,000 in funding. The total cost of purchasing all the buses is €35 million, of which €3.45 million is financed by ADEME.
This project is being carried out under the delegated project management of Hynamics, a subsidiary of the EDF Group, and by the ADF-RESATO consortium, the project manager.
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In Cannes, completion of the first carbon-free hydrogen station using water electrolysis in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, source
