According to Engie Solutions, the new 13.4 MW installation, inaugurated this Wednesday, December 18, will produce “up to 92% renewable heat”. The cost of the project amounts to 25 million euros.
This Wednesday, December 18, Marianne Sécheresse, director of the CEA Valduc center, and Matthieu Bonvoisin, director of the North-East territory of ENGIE Solutions, inaugurated the center’s new biomass boiler room.
Designed to provide renewable heat to buildings on the Valduc site, this new installation will cover up to 92% of heating needs using wood energy and will prevent emissions into the atmosphere from 12,000 to 16 000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Virtuous energy produced and consumed locally
The CEA has entrusted ENGIE Solutions, for an initial period of 5 years, with the design, construction and operation of a biomass boiler room with a triple objective: reducing CO2 emissions, using renewable energy sources and covering the evolution of the heat needs of the center.
Indeed, the CEA places sustainable development at the heart of its responsibility issues. Its energy performance project defined in July 2020 commits in particular to integrating energy performance research into all processes linked to new construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of installations and infrastructures.
Thus, the new boiler room, made up of two wood boilers of 6.7 MW each, or a total power of 13.4 MW, makes it possible to cover up to 92% of the site’s heating needs thanks to carbon-free energy.
The wood boilers are, in part, powered by self-supply thanks to the CEA’s own trees from the forest park. The additional fuel used is collected within a radius of 80 kilometers and is transported by 50% carbon-free vehicles thanks in particular to the use of biofuels.
Of the 22,000 tonnes of wood per year which will be necessary for the energy production of these boilers, 62% will come from forest chips and 38% from related sawmill products. For this, 20 to 50 jobs will be created in the wood sector. In total, the new boiler room will prevent the emission of 12,000 to 16,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year.
A new innovative and secure installation
For this large-scale project, particular attention was paid to securing the energy supply by choosing equipment redundancy. Its design was also planned to anticipate the increase in needs. Thus, spaces are reserved for future boilers and for the extension of fuel storage.
To monitor and optimize the energy performance of the boiler room, ENGIE Solutions has equipped itself with an intelligent hypervision platform for controlling energy efficiency to guarantee maximum efficiency and responsiveness.
A total budget of 25 million euros was mobilized for the installation of this new equipment, the work of which lasted 2 years.
“We are particularly proud to support the CEA Valduc center in achieving its social responsibility objectives and as part of its environmental preservation approach. This boiler room, by exploiting local and renewable resources, contributes not only to the reduction of CO2 emissions, but also to the energy efficiency of infrastructures while securing the supply of energy. This project illustrates our commitment to providing innovative and responsible solutions, in line with our ambitions for a carbon-free future. » declares Matthieu Bonvoisin, director of the North-East territory of ENGIE Solutions.
Key figures
13.4 MW: power of the new biomass boiler room
At least 12,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided per year, the equivalent of the CO2 emissions of nearly 30,000 automobiles over 1 year in France.
Up to 92% of site needs covered by renewable energy
20 to 50 jobs created in the wood sector.
Communiqué
