We are excited to announce the successful completion of the first hydrogen (H₂) test as part of the 2026 demonstration campaign of the HyCoFlex project at the ENGIE Energie Services cogeneration plant in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France.

As the demonstration campaign progresses, the project team will validate hydrogen operation in a Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine-based cogeneration system, assessing performance, operational flexibility, and low-NOx emissions under real industrial conditions. The objective is to demonstrate a practical pathway for retrofitting existing cogeneration assets to operate with increasing levels of hydrogen, ultimately up to 100% H₂ while maintaining performance and reliability.

These first H₂ tests are the culmination of years of innovation, engineering excellence, and strong collaboration among the HyCoFlex project partners. The knowledge, operational experience, and performance data, gained throughout the campaign will help validate hydrogen as a viable fuel for industrial cogeneration and advance practical pathways toward the decarbonization of industrial energy systems.

The HyCoFlex testing campaign has officially begun with the successful completion of the First Fire of the gas turbine at the ENGIE test site in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France.

Shortly thereafter, the turbine successfully achieved full-load operation on natural gas, marking another important step in the commissioning and testing programme.

Together, these achievements confirm the successful integration of the HyCoFlex retrofit package and demonstrate the readiness of the system for the next phases of testing.

Over the coming weeks, the consortium will carry out an extensive test campaign to validate system performance and progressively prepare the turbine for hydrogen operation.

The results will provide valuable insights into the integration of hydrogen technologies within industrial cogeneration systems, helping accelerate the transition toward more flexible, resilient, and lower-carbon energy solutions.

This achievement is the result of the dedication, expertise, and close collaboration of the entire HyCoFlex consortium. A heartfelt thank you to all partners, site teams, and experts whose commitment and hard work have made this milestone possible.

We look forward to sharing further updates as the testing campaign progresses and we move another step closer to demonstrating hydrogen-enabled industrial energy systems.