Arkema's €10 Million Hydrogen Production Unit Officially Commissioned in France

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 22, Arkema of France officially inaugurated a new steam methane reforming (SMR) hydrogen production unit at its Jarrie production site in Isère. The project represents an investment of approximately €10 million, and the unit was commissioned as planned in July 2026, with the official unveiling now completed. The new unit supplies hydrogen directly to the Jarrie site for production needs and is the first project to come on stream under Arkema's transformation investment plan for the site running through 2028.

The unit uses steam methane reforming technology, producing hydrogen through the reaction of methane-containing feedstocks such as natural gas with steam. The hydrogen produced is mainly used at the Jarrie site for the production of hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals. Arkema has not yet disclosed the designed hydrogen production capacity, natural gas consumption, or specific equipment suppliers for this SMR unit.

The Jarrie site is located approximately 15 kilometers south of Grenoble and is Arkema's largest hydrogen peroxide production base, with existing annual hydrogen peroxide capacity of approximately 115,000 tonnes. The site also produces sodium chlorate and sodium perchlorate, with hydrogen peroxide mainly used in pulp bleaching, electronics, disinfection, and chemical synthesis, while sodium perchlorate is used in aerospace and other fields.

The construction of this hydrogen production unit is directly linked to the business restructuring at the Jarrie site that began in 2025. In January 2025, Arkema announced adjustments to the site's product mix, focusing production on hydrogen peroxide, chlorates, and perchlorates, and ceasing certain production activities including chlorine, caustic soda, methyl chloride, and technical heat transfer fluids. The new SMR unit reconfigures hydrogen supply conditions for the retained businesses.

According to the transformation plan announced by Arkema, the Jarrie site will continue to implement new production projects from 2026 to 2027, with a focus on optimizing hydrogen flows and the raw material supply system at the plant, with the overall investment plan extending through 2028. Following the commissioning of this €10 million SMR unit, subsequent projects will continue to revolve around the hydrogen peroxide, chlorate, and perchlorate production systems.