Lhyfe (EURONEXT: LHYFE) – one of the world's pioneers in the production of green and renewable hydrogen for the decarbonization of industry and mobility – announces the signing of a major commercial, industrial and financial partnership with Messer, the world's largest privately-owned specialist in industrial, medical, electronic and specialty gases. Messer is taking a 30 percent 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 not only become a long-term customer for Lhyfe, 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 organizations. 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 tons per year. Beyond this commitment, Messer aims to purchase half of the output of the three French sites concerned. By becoming a 30 percent 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 percent 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 of Messer SE & Co. KGaA:
“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 decarbonization 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 decarbonized industrial future.” 

Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe: 
“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 decarbonization.” 

About Lhyfe 
Lhyfe is a European group devoted to energy transition, and a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen. Through its production sites and portfolio of projects, it seeks to provide access to green and renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, fostering a virtuous energy model that both decarbonizes entire sectors of industry and transport and enhances regional energy sovereignty. 
In 2021, Lhyfe inaugurated the first industrial-scale green hydrogen production plant in the world to be interconnected with a wind farm. In 2022, it inaugurated the first offshore green hydrogen production pilot platform in the world. Since then, Lhyfe has installed four other production sites and has several sites under construction or extension across Europe. In September 2025, Lhyfe became Europe’s largest producer of bulk RFNBO hydrogen from the electrolysis of water. 
Lhyfe is represented in 11 European countries and had 188 staff at the end of December 2025. The company is listed on the Euronext market in Paris (ISIN: FR0014009YQ1 – LHYFE). For more information go to Lhyfe.com.
 

A total of 26 innovative buses will replace their predecessors with conventional diesel engines by the end of June 2025, enabling the Rhein-Erft district to avoid emitting around 1,500 tons of greenhouse gases annually. The buses have a range of up to 350 kilometers per tank filling. They will be refueled at a hydrogen filling station provided by Messer on the REVG premises. This is also the location of the H. Freund freight forwarding company, which began commissioning the filling station in October 2024. Messer, the world's largest privately owned specialist for industrial, medical, and specialty gases, was selected as a partner. 

Andreas Noky, specialist for H₂ filling station projects at Messer: "Since the start of trial operations in November 2024, the fleet has gradually expanded from two to 26 buses. Over 400 refueling operations have taken place, filling approximately 6 tons of hydrogen. The average refueling time was less than 10 minutes, which is no longer than refueling with diesel fuel. To date, the operation of the new fuel cell hybrid buses and the refueling of additional vehicles from REVG partner companies have already avoided the emission of around 65 tons of greenhouse gases." 

Messer has been a technology and hydrogen supplier for one of the largest fleets of fuel cell-powered electric buses in the US since 2011. In Jülich (North Rhine-Westphalia), Messer is building a plant for the production of green hydrogen in a joint venture with the district of Düren. With a rated output of 10 megawatts and a production capacity of up to 180 kilograms of hydrogen per hour, the plant will be one of the largest of its kind in Germany. In neighboring Belgium, Messer is a partner in the Hyoffwind project in Zeebrugge for hydrogen electrolysis with a rated output of 25 megawatts. 

The hydrogen plant will be operated by HyDN GmbH, a joint venture between the district of Düren and Messer. With a nominal output of 10 megawatts and a production capacity of up to 180 kilograms of hydrogen per hour, the plant will be one of the largest of its kind in Germany. The green hydrogen produced will primarily be used to power fuel cell buses. Five of these climate-friendly buses, which only emit water vapor during operation, are already in use in the district of Düren. Another 20 are to follow by November 2024.

As part of the project, NEUMAN & ESSER was commissioned to supply two electrolyzers for hydrogen production and two diaphragm compressors for pressurizing the hydrogen. Messer will be responsible for storing the hydrogen produced, filling, and quality assurance. "For Messer, this project is another important strategic step to support our customers in decarbonization. We are involved in the engineering of the hydrogen production plant, will take over the operation of the plant in the long term, and distribute the green hydrogen. With this project, we are making an important contribution to climate protection by reducing environmentally harmful CO₂ emissions," says Virginia Esly, COO Europe of Messer.

The green hydrogen plant is set to go into operation in the fall of 2025. Its construction is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMDV) with around 14.7 million euros. The funding is part of the National Innovation Program Hydrogen 2 (NIP2).

Toyota Tsusho Europe SA and Messer SE & Co. KGaA bring their respective strengths to the newly established joint venture: Toyota Tsusho Europe, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation as a renowned company for the business development of value chains in mobility and Messer as the world's largest privately held specialist for industrial, medical and specialty gases with many years of hydrogen experience. 

SympH₂ony offers fleet mobility solutions based on clean hydrogen including zero-emission vehicles, hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen supplies with optional on-site production of H₂ as well as the services required for reliable operation – all tailored to the customer's specific needs. The option of billing according to kilometers driven by the fleet ensures calculable total operating costs. 

At the headquarters of SympH₂ony in Bad Soden, Germany, representatives of Messer and Toyota Tsusho Europe, including members of the management boards, gave the official go-ahead for the joint venture on June 26. 

“We offer private and public fleet operators the opportunity to safely achieve their goals for emission-free mobility. SympH₂ony overcomes obstacles such as technological uncertainty, commercial complexity, and capital availability. Fleet operators have the opportunity to act strategically and to take substantial steps towards zero emissions (ZE) operations, whilst continuing to focus on their core business. ZE made EZ!” says Tim Evison, SVP Clean Hydrogen at Messer. 

Kenji Yamanaka, Head of Next Mobility Toyota Tsusho Europe, adds: “SympH₂ony will build and operate on-site solutions that enable European fleet operators to move away from today's dependence on fossil fuels towards a zero-emission future.” 

Messer has been working with hydrogen almost since its beginnings over 125 years ago. Today, the company supports some of the world's largest fleets of fuel cell vehicles by supplying hydrogen and applying its extensive experience in hydrogen refueling. Messer produces renewable, low-carbon hydrogen and develops unique, patented contributions to improve hydrogen mobility. 

Toyota Tsusho Corporation is a global company that conducts business all over the world in a variety of business segments such as Mobility, Green Infrastructure, and Circular Economy. Today, the company is developing a hydrogen ecosystem to contribute to carbon neutrality as one of the Toyota Group companies. 

In Europe, the company is headquartered in Belgium as Toyota Tsusho Europe and has operations in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the UK, employing around 1,300 people across the region. 
 

Further information at symph2ony.eu