Lhyfe has announced the signing of a major commercial, industrial and financial partnership with Messer, a privately-owned specialist in industrial, medical, electronic and specialty gases. Messer is taking a 30% stake in four of Lhyfe’s hydrogen production sites in France and Germany. Moreover, the two partners will sign a 10-year-contract on the supply of renewable hydrogen.
With that single transaction, Messer will be for Lhyfe not only a long-term customer, but also a reference industrial partner and an investor in the assets' equity. It gives concrete form to the priorities announced by Lhyfe — commercial growth through indirect sales, revenue visibility and the demonstration of value created by its portfolio of sites — and marks Lhyfe's first capital rotation. The partnership brings together two highly complementary organisations. Messer contributes decades of expertise in hydrogen technologies, applications, logistics and gas distribution, while Lhyfe has established itself as a leading developer and operator of renewable hydrogen production assets.
A structuring partnership built around three levers
The 10-year supply agreement is backed by three of Lhyfe's sites in France and one in Germany. Messer commits to a minimum volume starting in 2026, which is expected to gradually increase and reach several hundred tonnes per year. Beyond this commitment, Messer aims to purchase half of the output of the three French sites concerned. By becoming a 30% shareholder in the company holding these four sites, Messer validates their industrial quality, commercial positioning and the value-creation potential of the assets developed by Lhyfe. Messer will bring its expertise in industrial gases, particularly in safety, operations, logistics, gas handling, customer relations and multi-gas distribution. This partnership is expected to contribute to the performance, resilience and commercial ramp-up of the sites concerned.
Through this agreement, Messer secures long-term access to renewable hydrogen, including RFNBO-certified hydrogen, sourced from multiple production sites in France and Germany. By integrating this hydrogen into its multi-gas offering, Messer will be able to meet the decarbonization needs of both its existing industrial customers and new clients.
Beyond its commercial dimension, this partnership reflects a convergent view of the renewable hydrogen market between Lhyfe and Messer, including regarding its development potential over the medium to long term.
For Lhyfe: a partnership that strengthens the Group's financial profile
This partnership strengthens the financial profile through more visible and recurring cash flows resulting from the long-term contract and the minimum purchase commitment as well as a strengthening of the Group's financial position through the sale of a 30% stake in the company holding the four production sites. Lhyfe will continue to consolidate this company on a full consolidation basis and strengthen capacity to focus resources on the most advanced, commercially secured and value-creating projects.
With this transaction, Lhyfe takes a further step in its model as a developer and operator of renewable hydrogen assets. Having completed the permitting, financing, construction and commissioning phases, the Group demonstrates its ability to crystallize the value of its assets through a first capital rotation, while retaining majority exposure to their growth potential and remaining the exclusive operator of these sites — as such, operation and management services continue to be invoiced by Lhyfe to the companies holding these assets.
Completion of the transaction is expected in the coming months and remains subject to lenders' consent, in accordance with in-place financing documentation.
Peter Mohnen, CEO Messer SE & Co. KGaA, said: “This agreement marks a major milestone for Messer and Lhyfe and underlines our long-term commitment to enabling the hydrogen economy. By securing access to substantial volumes of renewable hydrogen, we are strengthening our ability to support the decarbonisation ambitions of our customers and prospective customers across a wide range of industries. Demand for renewable hydrogen continues to increase, and the geographically diversified production footprint of these sites allows us to optimize supply chains, shorten transport distances and reduce transport-related emissions. At Messer, we see it as our responsibility to actively contribute to addressing the challenges of our time, and this partnership is an important step toward building a more resilient, competitive and decarbonised industrial future.”
Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe, commented: ”The decision of a worldwide leading industrial gases company such as Messer, with more than over 125 years of experience, to join us sends a strong signal to the entire industry. It confirms both the strength of our business model and the accelerating adoption of renewable hydrogen across industrial sectors. Together with Messer, already a Lhyfe customer for several years, we share the conviction that renewable hydrogen is set to become one of the cornerstones of the new industrial energy mix. This agreement gives us the means to strengthen Lhyfe’s financial solidity, to pursue our ambition and to develop increasingly transformative and large scale projects, helping to accelerate Europe’s decarbonisation."