French president Emmanuel Macron announced the project aiming at producing decarbonised nitrogenous fertilisers at the "Choose France" summit, an annual meeting of international business leaders at the Château de Versailles, on Monday 13 May.

The document urged the EU to break away from dependence on Russian fertilisers, by investing in innovation on made-in-Europe production and developing alternatives using chemical nitrogen.

FertigHy wants to replace hydrogen – a key element in the production of nitrogen fertilisers – currently produced from natural gas with hydrogen produced by electricity.

Initially planned for Spain, the plant will be built in France and will use electricity generated from nuclear and renewable sources, emitting reduced levels of CO2.