Wedoany.com Report-Mar 24, Montpellier-based renewable energy firm Qair has officially greenlit the construction of its inaugural hydrogen refueling station, to be located in Béziers within the Méridienne Economic Activity Zone. The project, backed by AREC Occitanie (the regional energy and climate agency), is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2025.

Image of the Qair renewable hydrogen station in Béziers

The station is designed to deliver up to 600kg of renewable hydrogen daily, primarily targeting heavy-duty vehicles — starting with the bus fleet in the Béziers Méditerranée agglomeration. Its role will be pivotal in a broader decarbonisation plan across southern France.

“This station will be put into operation by the end of the year,” Qair confirmed on March 21.

The Béziers facility is a critical node in the wider H2 Occitanie Corridor — a hydrogen mobility project supported by the Occitanie Region, the French energy agency ADEME, the European Investment Bank, and the European Union. The corridor aims to establish a robust hydrogen refueling network for zero-emissions logistics and passenger transport across key transit routes.

Crucially, the Béziers station will be supplied by Hyd’Occ — France’s largest renewable hydrogen production plant currently under construction in Port-La Nouvelle (Aude). The first phase of Hyd’Occ involves a 20MW electrolyser unit capable of generating 2,700 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. That’s enough to cut 27,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.

“The first tranche of the Hyd’Occ unit, with a capacity of 20 MW for a production of 2,700 tonnes of renewable hydrogen per year, will be put into operation by the end of the year and will distribute hydrogen to Occtane stations starting with the Béziers station.”

The Hyd’Occ project is being developed as part of a scalable ecosystem. Future expansion is already being mapped out, with a second phase that would double the site’s capacity to 40MW and push annual hydrogen production up to 5,400 tonnes. This would significantly increase hydrogen availability for southern France and beyond — especially for transport corridors moving toward zero-emission compliance.

Beyond its direct environmental benefit, the Béziers station also symbolizes a regional strategy for economic development and climate leadership. The Occitanie Region has made hydrogen central to its decarbonisation and reindustrialisation strategy, placing a heavy emphasis on public-private partnerships and integrated infrastructure networks.

For Qair, this station is just the beginning. With 730 employees and growing international ambitions in clean energy, the firm is using Béziers as a springboard to expand its hydrogen activities across France and potentially into neighboring EU markets.