French companies TotalEnergies, Air Liquide and Vinci have launched on Oct. 1 what they said would be the world's largest clean hydrogen infrastructure fund, as companies increase their presence in the green energy sector.

The companies said this fund aimed to reach 1.5 billion euros (US$1.74 billion), and had already secured initial commitments of 800 million euros.

"We believe that clean, renewable hydrogen will play a key role in the energy transition, and TotalEnergies wants to be a pioneer in its mass production," Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies chairman and CEO, said.

"We are currently working on several projects, notably to decarbonize the grey hydrogen used in our European refineries by 2030. We are convinced that a collective effort is needed to kick-start the hydrogen sector and take it to scale," he added.

($1 = 0.8637 euros)