French oil major TotalEnergies and industrial gases company Air Liquide have announced a partnership to develop two green hydrogen projects in the Netherlands and Belgium. These projects, which involve building electrolysers, aim to help decarbonise TotalEnergies' refineries in the region. The combined investment for these projects exceeds 1 billion euros and is expected to result in a significant reduction of CO2 emissions, up to 450,000 metric tons annually. By producing hydrogen through water electrolysis using renewable electricity, the projects align with the goal of transitioning to greener fuels as part of European countries' plans to phase out oil and natural gas by 2050. However, challenges such as high costs and uncertain demand have caused some energy companies to pause hydrogen projects. Despite this, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne remains committed to using renewable hydrogen in the company's refineries to lower net CO2 emissions. The first project, a 200 MW electrolyser in Rotterdam, will be powered by TotalEnergies' wind farms off the Dutch coast and is set to begin operations by the end of 2027. The companies have also announced plans to establish a joint venture for a 250 MW electrolyser project in the Zeeland province of the Netherlands. Both TotalEnergies and Air Liquide have applied for subsidies under European and national programmes to support these initiatives.