A look back at the 3rd Franco-German Forum in Metz: natural hydrogen, cross-border projects, and clean mobility at the heart of energy cooperation.

On Thursday, November 20, the Arsenal in Metz hosted the 3rd Franco-German Forum, organized by the Eurométropole de Metz in cooperation with the City of Saarbrücken.
Theme: "Hydrogen: what potential for the Franco-German energy transition?" – a major challenge for the future of the regions.
On the agenda: transport, industry, and the production of virtuous hydrogen, a strategic driver for innovative and carbon-free cooperation.

In front of the Jean-Marie Rausch Arsenal, two hydrogen buses were on display:

Lorraine has the world's largest deposit of natural hydrogen (white H₂), a local resource that is abundant and can be exploited without any major impact on the environment. According to the USGS (2025), 2% of the world's identified reserves would be enough to meet humanity's energy needs for 200 years.
Local production reduces costs and carbon footprint, unlike imported hydrogen or hydrogen produced using CO₂-emitting processes.

The transition is based on research (University of Lorraine, CNRS, Fraunhofer, etc.) and key industrial players (Lhyfe, Natran, Creos, SHS-Gruppe, etc.).
Among the flagship projects is MosaHYc, which is transforming a former gas pipeline into a hydrogen highway between Lorraine and Saarland to supply industry and clean mobility.