Launch of the largest solar thermal power plan in France connected to a heating network

Forbach, France, February 20, 2020 – La Française de l’Énergie (Euronext: LFDE – ISIN: FR0013030152) leader in industrial ecology, strengthens its positioning in green energies with the launch in Creutzwald of the largest solar power plant in France injecting the heat produced into a district network, in partnership with ÉNES, a municipal utility established for nearly a century in the region.

With their important footprint in Moselle, la Française de l’Energie and ÉNES Creutzwald have teamed up to develop this major project and support the ecological transition of the Grand Est Region. This thermal solar plant, based on a proven technology already deployed in the Nordic countries, is located only 150 m away from the ENES Creutzwald district heating network. It will supply in short circuits to residential sectors, industries, SMEs, numerous public infrastructures, and will multiply by six the percentage of renewable energy provided of the local network.

This first solar thermal power plant to be built by Savosolar Oyj, will be operational and operated by LFDE by the end of summer 2020. It will produce 2,610 MWh annually, or the equivalent of the heating needs of 190 households. It will also cover 100% of the needs of the heating network in the summer period.

True to its strategy of reducing the carbon footprint of the territories in which it operates, La Française de l’Energie will save 560 tons of CO2eq of greenhouse gas emissions per year with this project.

Within the scope of the Appel à Projet National organised by the ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie), the relevance of this development has been recognized with a subsidy of €1.3 million, based on a global investment of € 2.4 million.

Through this long-term partnership, La Française de l’Énergie consolidates its implantation in the Grand-Est region while expanding its portfolio in green energies thus confirming its status as an actor at the heart of the ecological transition.