The cluster has led 11 studies on the various energy carriers and infrastructures, which have led to the development of several decarbonisation scenarios for the Fos - Etang de Berre area as part of the SYRIUS programme, and is preparing the next stage.
At the 3ᵉ Forum SYRIUS recently held at Marseille Provence Airport, Capenergies, alongside PIICCTO, the programme coordinator, and the other partners, presented an assessment of the first phase of the programme. As a key coordinating partner, the competitiveness cluster has played a decisive role in building decarbonisation scenarios for one of France's most strategic industrial regions.
40% studies led by Capenergies
Since 2023, Capenergies has successfully piloted 11 of the 28 studies carried out as part of phase 1, representing an overall budget of €8 million. This work has focused on energy carriers and associated infrastructures: low-carbon electricity, hydrogen, ammonia (NH₃), oxygen (O₂), decarbonised gases, CCUS, renewable heat, e-fuels, etc.
«This first phase confirms our vision of the need to develop a genuine low-carbon energy hub, combined with a profound transformation of the energy mix and new shared infrastructures», underlined Héloïse Delseny, Industry Decarbonisation Project Manager at Capenergies, at the 3e Forum Syrius.
These studies have directly contributed to the construction of three robust decarbonisation scenarios for the region, projecting emissions reductions ranging from 80% to 97% by 2050.
A region with colossal challenges
The SYRIUS (Synergies Régénératives IndUstrielles Sud) programme, winner of the ZIBaC call for projects operated by ADEME, covers an area stretching from Fos-sur-Mer to Manosque. This area emits 18 million tonnes of CO₂ every year - 15% of national emissions from industry - and is home to 50,000 direct jobs and 140,000 indirect jobs.
Coordinated by the PIICTO association, the programme has 60 members, including nearly 50 major industrial players. Capenergies runs it with four other partners: Novachim, the South Region, the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Area and the Port of Marseille Fos.
The scenarios developed with the expertise of Capenergies reveal the need for considerable investment:
- Regional hydrogen hub up to €5bn, including €1.5bn for shared infrastructures
- Reinforcing the electricity network Between €1.5 and €3 billion for the electrification of industrial processes
- Hub CO₂ between €2bn and €6bn for capture, transport and geological storage
Phase 2: Capenergies renews and strengthens its commitment
For phase 2 (2026-2030), Capenergies could lead up to 21 new studies, strengthening its involvement. The application was submitted in July 2025, with a target of €16 million in public funding, for a total amount that could reach more than €40 million.
The new studies will focus on :
- Developing the local hydrogen hub more complete identification of diffuse uses, supply in the form of derived molecules, synergies with the methanol and ammonia sectors,
- Preparing hydrogen infrastructures transport network, storage, import/export terminals, conversion of existing oil infrastructures,
- Integration into the electricity grid synergies between hydrogen production by electrolysis and the grid, and the challenges of flexibility,
- Local energy synergies pooling resources, making the most of waste heat.
The SYRIUS programme has identified three trajectories:
- Trend scenario slowdown in activity and limited decarbonisation.
- Central scenario gradual transformation, -94% in emissions, creation of 3,000 jobs.
- Ambitious scenario A profound transformation, with emissions down 97%, the creation of 5,000 jobs and a boom in the energy transition professions.
These scenarios also forecast a significant improvement in air quality and a strengthening of the region's industrial competitiveness.
The approach developed is based on the simultaneous deployment of several solutions: energy efficiency, mass electrification, diversification of the energy mix (hydrogen, biomass), alternative fuels, recovery of waste energy, CCUS from 2030, and the industrial circular economy.
Photo credit: GPMM
A replicable model
«Decarbonisation is not just an environmental imperative: it's a fantastic opportunity to reindustrialise the region in the long term, to anchor employment and innovation here».», concluded Simon Deltombe, ZIBaC National Coordinator at ADEME.
Thanks to the structuring work carried out by Capenergies, SYRIUS constitutes a full-scale laboratory whose lessons will enrich national strategies and can be duplicated in other major industrial areas. The programme is fully in line with the ambition of the Southern Region to become the first carbon-neutral region by 2040.
Studies for phase 2 of the programme, led by Capenergies on energy systems issues, will start in 2026, paving the way for the first structuring investments before the end of the decade.