NaTran R&I accelerates research and development in the field of hydrogen and renewable gas metering
The NaTran 2030 business plan is steering the company towards developing the transport of all gases that contribute to the energy transition (biomethane, low-carbon hydrogen, and CO2). By 2030, the ambition is to increase the volume of renewable gases in the networks fivefold and to develop more than 1,000 km of H2 and CO2 networks in Europe. In this context, the NaTran R&I research and innovation center (formerly RICE) is developing a SmHYre research and innovation platform dedicated to hydrogen and renewable gas metering with the commissioning of new test benches.
"Our ambition is clear: we want to step up our research and innovation efforts to make NaTran a leading European gas transport operator focused on the energy transition. The SmHYre testing platform, which is unique in Europe, illustrates this strategy: it marks a major progress in high-pressure, high-flow hydrogen metering, while integrating future CO₂ compatibility."Pierre Blouet
Director of NaTran R&I
SmHYre is a testing platform unique in Europe, located at the NaTran R&I testing center in Alfortville. It is dedicated to the calibration, qualification, and study of hydrogen and renewable gas metering systems (meters). SmHYre aims to support the development of a new technology sector dedicated to measuring quantities of H2, renewable gases, and CO2. It targets energy companies, gas network and infrastructure operators, metering equipment manufacturers, and metrology laboratories in France and Europe.
NaTran announced the start of a new phase this summer with the installation of a new test bench running on hydrogen and various renewable gases. The new bench is dedicated to tertiary or domestic metering applications up to a flow rate of 16 Nm3/h and a pressure of 500 mbar.
The first phase of the project was completed in 2024. It involved adapting an existing test bench that runs on natural gas for use with hydrogen (up to 100%). This test bench (BMC) enables NaTran R&I to participate in two major European projects: THOTH2, funded by Horizon Europe (qualification of the energy measurement chain for hydrogen transport), and H2FlowTrace, funded by EURAMET's EMPIR program (creation of a European traceability chain for the calibration of hydrogen meters).
A second BS3 test bench for domestic meters was commissioned in September 2025 and will enable operators and equipment manufacturers to test their hydrogen solutions.
SmHYre represents an investment of around €1 million for NaTran, co-financed by the “Grands Lieux d'Innovation Leader France 2030” program, supported by BPIFRANCE and the Île-de-France region.
This initiative is part of NaTran's 2030 corporate project, which places the Group at the heart of the energy transition and sets out its roadmap towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
SmHYre in summary and in pictures
- Technical services for calibration and metrological qualification, intended for gas operators, industrialists, and meter manufacturers.
- Research and R&D services within the framework of European projects, such as the THOTH2 project and the H2FlowTrace project.
- Provision of a testing platform via services to equipment manufacturers and other network operators, in order to test and develop their solutions for hydrogen and renewable gases.
