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– Ricanto power plant: “100% green” electricity by 2050
Exit them white and red fireplaces 85 meters high, disfiguring the coastal landscape and the mountainous foothills. Those that replace them will only rise to 50 meters and should adopt more neutral colors, in shades of gray, to blend in more with the decor.
This is just one of the many advantages of the Ricanto bioenergy plant, a project worth some €800 millionwhich will replace the obsolete Vazzio structure – the only one in Europe to still operate on heavy fuel oil – with an equivalent power, i.e. 130 MW, but operating at liquid biomass.
At the end of a development phase which lasted four years, the project finally sees the end of the tunnelafter a number of reversals, doubts, and above all waiting on the part of a population subject to the health consequences of harmful smoke.
While the first stone will be asked this Friday, November 22, in the presence of the Minister of Partnership with the Territories, Catherine Vautrina part of the veil was lifted, a few hours earlier, on the ambitions of an emblematic file. Economically, socially, environmentally. Politics, too.
Ban heavy fuel oil
When maneuvering to illuminate the subject, Frédéric Maillardpresident of EDF PEI (for island electricity production), a 100% subsidiary of EDF, created in 2006 with a view to renewing the means of thermal production in non-interconnected areas.
“This laying of the first stone marks an essential step since we will move from the development phase to the realization phase with work planned to last three and a half years, gradual commissioning of the plant in mid-2027, and final commissioning in early 2028.
A calendar “realistic”affirms Frédéric Maillard, while an organization will be defined to operate in parallel, for six to eight months, the two plants, until the full operationality of that of Ricanto, of which Cedric Dupuiswho directs its construction, summarizes the main characteristics.
“It will be a power plant with eight new generation engines of approximately 16 MW each, with fuel of plant origin, in accordance with the multi-annual energy programming (PPE) of Corsica, in order to ban heavy fuel oil used today”.
On the production side, the new structure will represent approximately 20% of the island's annual consumption and up to 40% at nightwith peaks of activity in summer and winter.
Three main added values: securing the energy supply of the Ajaccio basin, decarbonizing electricity production, but also significantly improving air quality for local residents and residents of the region.
“We are talking about 300,000 tonnes of CO2 less each year. In addition, we will no longer need the 350,000 m3 of fresh water used for refrigeration at the plant”relays the president of EDF PEI, thanks to the beneficial effects of liquid biomass.
“By operating with this fuel, the energy produced will be renewable, controllable and guaranteed, providing a significant level of reliability to the region’s electricity supply”.
To “feed” the power plant, around 100,000 tonnes of biomass per year will be necessary, i.e. 200,000 tonnes of rapeseedand 60,000 hectares cultivated over a year.
The boosted economy
The closure of the Vazzio site in favor of the new Ricanto power plant will, moreover, be synonymous of economic activity and maintaining jobs for the Ajaccian basin, specifies EDF.
“The transition from one means of production to another will result in the transfer of a majority of the teams, who will thus be able to take part in Ricanto's adventure. Certain service provision contracts may be renewed while companies in the Ajaccian ecosystem will, in turn, benefit from the impetus given by the commissioning of the new power plant..
As a corollary, more than 100 long-term jobs and more than 100 million euros in economic benefits for the territory during the construction phase. Anything but trivial in the tense context that we know.
By the numbers
130 MW
capacity
of production
100 %
renewable electricity
with biomass
liquid
+ of 100 M€
of fallout
economic
for the territory
