Elisabeth Borne met Tuesday in Le Havre with her predecessor Edouard Philippe, mayor of the city and president of the allied party Horizons, with whom she wished to “develop the green industry from Le Havre to Paris”, by presenting two alternative fuel projects planned on the port.
Accompanied by six ministers, including Sylvie Retailleau (Research), Agnès Pannier-Runacher (Energy), and Christophe Béchu (Ecological Transition), the Prime Minister visited the port of Le Havre with him aboard a boat, after having received from the hands of the former head of government a city sweatshirt for the “fast walk”.
“We want to take full advantage of this port complex (named Haropa, merger of the ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris, editor’s note) to develop the green industry from Le Havre to Paris” and also “to further strengthen (its) place as a gateway to Europe”, she underlined during a press briefing.
Tall black smoke was visible from the boat, produced by the burning of tires by dockworkers on the docks. “It’s their little word of welcome,” quipped Edouard Philippe.
The energy group Engie plans to set up two alternative fuel projects in the port of Le Havre intended to accelerate the decarbonization of maritime and air transport, Salamander and KerEAUzen, for a total of 1.2 billion euros of investment.
Their construction will first generate 5,000 jobs, then their operational management between 150 and 200, said the director general of Engie, Catherine MacGregor, also of the trip.
The Salamander project will make it possible to supply, from 2027, 11,000 tonnes per year of 2nd generation bio-methane for the needs of the maritime carrier CMA CGM, in a sector which is seeking to get out of fuel oil and fossil gas.
The other, larger project, France KerEAUzen, valued at 1 billion euros, should make it possible, after a feasibility study, to supply 70,000 tonnes per year of e-kerosene (low-carbon synthetic fuel) from 2030, mainly for the needs of Air France.
This fuel will be made from a combination of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen produced by an electrolysis unit, and recycled CO2, the contributions of which are estimated at 270,000 tonnes.
However “part of this CO2, or 60,000 tonnes, will be recovered on the Salamander installations”, the rest supplied by local industrialists, explained to AFP Sébastien Arbola, deputy general manager of Engie, underlining the “complementarity” between the two projects.
Back on land, the Prime Minister and deputy of Calvados boasted to some passers-by “the most beautiful region of France”, after posing for a photo in front of a restaurant called “Babette” and before talking with a young nurse who complained about his working conditions.
Back at City Hall, the two officials were greeted by boos and shouting from a few dozen demonstrators waving CGT or NPA flags. “Government out,” shouted a woman.
Elisabeth Borne has yet to announce an envelope of 23 million euros in total for the three Normandy universities, winners of a call for projects of excellence, within the framework of France 2030.
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