Our history

SOTEN established by Marc Haffner on the legacy of the family business originally created in 1975. Focus: Project management and engineering for cogeneration energy optimization projects at thermal power plants.

1st cogeneration project (12 MW) near Nantes, France
Start of SOTEN’s business expansion, with a growing number of projects in France, Europe, and Africa, in a variety of industries (dairies, ceramics, paper mills, mining operations in particular) over the following years, for a total of 40 projects representing 600 MW of installed capacity

Decision by SOTEN to focus on biomass residues and waste-based projects exclusively, including incineration plants
Marc Haffner’s first “contact” with thermolysis, a chemical process based on the bubbling fluidized-bed reactor technology initially developed by German chemist Fritz Winkler

SOTEN delivers the 1st wood-fired cogeneration project (sawmill residues, 4 MW) ever built in France

Philippe Haffner joins SOTEN

Start of R&D on HYNOCA®, the solution for producing renewable hydrogen from biomass thermolysis

Haffner Energy established by Marc and Philippe Haffner in Vitry-le-François (Grand-Est region) to leverage SOTEN’s expertise into developing turnkey solutions for renewable energy production from the thermolysis of biomass residues
First round of financing (EUREFI is a founding investor)
Registration of the first patent families on HYNOCA®

Projects funded by ADEME and Bpifrance
Second round of financing

Third round of financing, with several new investors acquiring a stake in the Company

1st R-HYNOCA® contract in Strasbourg
Registration of 15 patent families, with 80 international patents


30th anniversary of Haffner Energy


Acquisition of the JACQUIER steelmaking and assembly plant near Vitry-le-François, providing Haffner Energy with its first industrial tool for the manufacture and assembly of its modules

Launch of SAFNOCA®, an integrated solution paving the way for mass production of competitive Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Energy Decarbonation Prize awarded to HYNOCA® (INOVANA regional competition)

Launch of the new SYNOCA® offer, directly derived from HYNOCA®, with a high capacity (20 MW and above), and designed to replace fossil natural gas in industry
Haffner Energy selected by U.S. clean-energy technology incubator Greentown Labs in Houston, Texas, where the Company is hosted

Presentation of the Factor’Hy project, the first high-capacity plant in Saint-Dizier (Grand-Est Region) to assemble renewable gas and hydrogen production modules, with financial backing from the French government (France 2030 program operated by Bpifrance) and support from the GIP Haute-Marne, Europe and the Grand-Est Region

Breaking ground on the new testing and training center in the Vitry-Marolles business park (Marne) near Haffner Energy’s headquarters, as announced in Q4 2023.
This center is designed to operate for 8,000 continuous hour per year, including testing different types of biomass supplied by customers. The plant will display the full range of possibilities offered by Haffner Energy’s technology: production of renewable syngas, renewable hydrogen, even the co-production of electricity, biochar, and biogenic CO2 from the gasification of biochar.

Haffner Energy and US company Hexas announce the launch of an integrated offering for the production of renewable energy from biomass grown on marginal lands.

The new Haffner Energy website is launched !
Haffner Energy wins Business France’s “Coup de Cœur” CSR Booster Prize and CEO Philippe Haffner becomes an ambassador for Team France Export.


Production of renewable gas (syngas) begins at the Marolles site.
Haffner Energy joins forces with LanzaJet, US leader in the Alcohol-to-Jet process named by TIME magazine on the 2024 “100 Most Influential Companies” list, for the “Paris-Vatry SAF” project, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant at Paris-Vatry airport.

Haffner Energy and IðunnH2, an Icelandic developer of green hydrogen projects, sign a key agreement to reduce costs and secure carbon supply for Iceland’s largest e-SAF project (65,000 tons/year).
Haffner Energy’s proprietary HYNOCA® solution is selected for a project to produce syngas and renewable hydrogen for industrial and mobility use in the Nord Lozère industrial area in Occitanie Region, France. The aim is to meet the needs of the ArcelorMittal plant in Saint-Chély-d’Apcher.
Haffner Energy joins forces with Bambbco, France’s leading bamboo ecosystem developer, to diversify sources of sustainable biomass with no conflicts of use.
The Nede’HY project, which aims to produce green hydrogen from Haffner Energy’s HYNOCA® solution, wins ADEME’s EcosysH2 call for projects.

Haffner Energy’s hydrogen production, testing and training center is inaugurated during Industry Week.
On this occasion, Henri Prévost, Marne County prefect, announces the award of €400,000 in subsidies via the “Fonds vert – Territoires d’industrie en transition écologique” financed by the French government and operated by ADEME. This comes in addition to €500,000 previously awarded to Haffner Energy via the France 2030 Regionalized program, which co-financed by the French government and Grand Est Region and operated by Bpifrance.