An engagement contract between Genvia and Agglo Béziers Méditerranée: for a future factory in the Mazeran area

Florence Lambert, directrice de Genvia, aux côtés de partenaires, parmi lesquels le préfet François-Xavier Lauch, le président de l'Agglo Robert Ménard ou encore la vice-présidente à la Région Florence Brutus. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

The company Genvia, which is developing cutting-edge technology in global competition in the emerging decarbonized hydrogen market, has just signed an agreement with the Agglo Béziers Méditerranée for the study of the establishment of its factory in the Mazeran area, in Béziers. This formalization was expected. The promise of a "gigafactory" is reserved for Béziers. 

"The roadmap is in place for Genvia", says Florence Lambert straight away. "We're on time". This Wednesday noon, the director of the company carrying all the potential in the context of the development of the green hydrogen sector in Béziers, provides an update and is intended to be positive.

Earlier in the morning, all the partners met as part of a coordination committee for Eden, an ecosystem created in September 2022, bringing together all project stakeholders in order to maximize the establishment of a manufacturing plant for high-temperature electrolysers intended to produce carbon-free hydrogen.  The cutting-edge technology is in global competition with processes developed in the United States and even in Denmark. Objective: to be ready and offer the best solution when big companies undertake their energy revolution and abandon fossil fuels. So where are we ? 

1- An agreement signed with the Agglo de Béziers to launch studies in the Mazeran area

Florence Lambert thus confirmed an important step forward with the formalization of the choice of the Mazeran area in Béziers to host a "gigafactory" or at least initially “a factory”. She explained: “Our first system is emerging from the ground at the moment, it will be tested and delivered to Saint-Chély-d'Apcher (to ArcelorMittal Editor's note). To be ready from 2026 and aim for a greater increase in power. We signed an agreement with the Agglo Béziers Méditerranée to target the Mazeran site as a priority for studies. From now on, we can begin studies which will lead to permits, start looking at the layout, so as to be ready as quickly as possible. The definitive push for industrial acceleration will take place when we make a more substantial lift. "We got engaged", commented Robert Ménard, the president of the Agglo, to give an image. The idea is to lay a first stone in 2026 in Mazeran in order to achieve a first factory building in 2027. Genvia would then leave the walls of SLB (ex-Cameron) and join the new site the construction of which could continue depending on the evolution of demand and the market. 

2- A Polytech antenna in Béziers

Regarding the skills and training aspect, essential. "We're starting to overturn the table", blurted Florence Lambert. "We already had a professional Baccalaureate, a BUT, an 18-month Eden course on line operation, maintenance and quality". The rector Sophie Béjean has in fact announced the opening of a branch of the Polytech engineering school 'to ensure continuity and build an engineering career in Biterrois. 

3- A partnership with Airbus

Another concrete point: the launch of a "Éden ticket"aimed at start-up creators. To make it easy for them to access incubators and encourage the development of their innovation. The director of Genvia also mentioned the signing of a partnership with the Laplace laboratory, located in the hydrogen technocampus in Toulouse and specialized in testing hydrogen technologies. "ITS Fusion being  associated to work on manufacturing processes". Furthermore, an agreement was signed with Airbus on synthetic fuels in connection with the Occitanie Region. "Being able to experiment with the uses is really going to be great". "Knowing that Genvia's applications remain focused on the decarbonization of industry. But others will come, notably in chemistry, ammonia and synthetic fuel." 

Robert Ménard: “Everyone stands to gain from the success of Genvia”

For the moment, the Agglo Béziers Méditerran&eac;e remains the owner of its 49-hectare plot of land. Mazeran. The modalities for financing development studies have not been defined. communicated. Furthermore, for the future: sale, rental or partial rental… The provisions have not been made. Determined, they must be determined within the next two years. Robert Ménard said ;eacute;legalityé of this first very concrete step: "Genvia çhas worked. They are going to be the best and the cheapest. We will thus be able to move forward with the studies to see if the 49 hectares correspond to the needs. Genvia will think about the implementation plan. And good news: these 49 hectares will not, in principle, be deducted from the envelope allocated by the State to the government. urbanization. "Everyone has à gain success from Genvia. This does not come to cannibalize the land, the money, the  training,” Robert Ménard. 

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