Lhyfe becomes Europe's largest RFNBO-certified green hydrogen producer

French producer Lhyfe has established itself as Europe's largest producer of RFNBO-certified green hydrogen. Four production sites — three in France and one in Germany — meet the strictest sustainability standard the EU applies to hydrogen. For hydrogen mobility, that means a growing supply of genuinely green hydrogen at the pump, including in the Netherlands.

What exactly is RFNBO?

RFNBO stands for Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin — a European label under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). Hydrogen carrying the label must be produced with renewable electricity from newly built sources in the same grid zone. Production must also be matched with renewable generation on an hourly basis. It's the highest bar Europe currently sets for green hydrogen.

Four sites, 21 MW of capacity

Lhyfe now operates four electrolysis plants carrying the certification:

• Bouin (Vendée, France) — 1 MW, France's first RFNBO-certified hydrogen plant
• Buléon (Brittany, France) — 5 MW
• Bessières (Occitanie, France) — 5 MW
• Schwäbisch Gmünd (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) — 10 MW, Germany's second-largest renewable hydrogen plant

Together they amount to around 21 MW of installed capacity and up to 8.3 tonnes of green hydrogen per day. Certification was issued by TÜV SÜD under the EU-approved CertifHy scheme, with traceability technology supplied by France-based Atme.

What does this mean for hydrogen drivers?

Since Europe still lacks a comprehensive hydrogen network, Lhyfe delivers via a fleet of more than 80 tube trailers across nine European countries. In 2025 the company completed over 850 deliveries — an 80 percent year-on-year increase. For the Netherlands, Lhyfe has signed a multi-year deal to supply green hydrogen to the Essent refuelling station in Deventer. In Germany it is supplying around 90 tonnes of RFNBO hydrogen to a station operator, and in early 2026 Lhyfe signed a multi-year contract with SETRAM, operator of the hydrogen buses around Le Mans.

A more selective market

At the same time, Europe's hydrogen market has become more pragmatic. Against the EU's original ambition of 40 GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030, only around 600 MW is currently operational. Lhyfe has announced that from 2026 it will refocus its development strategy on more mature markets — UK industry, European refineries and mobility — and cut costs by 30 percent. In that context, RFNBO certification is more than a label: it's the differentiator that sets green hydrogen apart from fossil alternatives.

Sources:

• LinkedIn post by Luc Graré (Lhyfe), May 2026
• H2 View: Lhyfe becomes Europe's largest RFNBO-certified hydrogen producer (September 2025)
• Lhyfe press release on 2025 annual results (31 March 2026)
• S&P Global: French green hydrogen company Lhyfe refocuses strategy on mature markets (December 2025)
• Driving Hydrogen: Lhyfe opens Germany's largest renewable hydrogen production site (October 2025)