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ENGIE and NEOEN Present HORIZEO, an Unprecedented Low-Carbon Energy Platform Project in France: Includes Batteries and Hydrogen

By January 12, 2021 6   min read  (1037 words)

January 12, 2021 |

fuelcellsworks, Batteries and Hydrogen

ENGIE and NEOEN, companies committed to the energy transition of regions and leaders in the renewable energy sector, are joining forces to develop HORIZEO, a large-scale renewable energy production project, based on a new concept of a low-carbon energy platform, in Saucats, in Gironde.

Seized last December by all the project leaders, namely ENGIE, NEOEN, RTE and the Town Hall of Saucats, the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) decided to organize a public debate that will allow the entire territory to participate in the development of HORIZEO.

The objective of the project is to develop a new model of renewable energy production, placing both innovation, technical and economic, and respect for the environment at the heart of its development.

It includes:
a photovoltaic park with a power of 1 Gigawatt, for an electricity production equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 600,000 people;

Additional technological bricks, articulating local production and consumption of renewable energy through:
. electricity storage batteries;
. electricity storage batteries; a green hydrogen production unit aimed in particular at outlets for individual and collective regional mobility;
. electricity storage batteries, a data center;
. electricity storage batteries, and an area combining agriculture and photovoltaic electricity production.

HORIZEO is a project with an unprecedented dimension contributing to the achievement of the energy transition objectives set by France. In the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the objective is to reach 8.5 GW of photovoltaic energy production capacity in 2030 against 2 GW today. The project alone would represent more than 15% of this regional ambition. These particularly ambitious objectives constitute real challenges that ENGIE and NEOEN are now ready to take up alongside local players.

The energy produced by the photovoltaic park will be valued through contracts for the sale of electricity by mutual agreement, that is to say outside of calls for tenders from the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE ) and therefore, without recourse to public support mechanisms. ENGIE and NEOEN thus intend to demonstrate that photovoltaic solar energy is today both mature, reliable and sufficiently competitive to ensure the direct supply of electricity to industrialists. The local production of renewable and competitive energy will also allow the development of an electrolyser and a data center supplied directly by the photovoltaic park, a first in France.

Given the scope of the project, particular attention is paid to its effects, particularly on the environment and the forest environment. The project, which covers an area of ​​approximately 1000 hectares, is part of a set of fenced private plots dedicated to the silvicultural production of maritime pines and currently operated by two private hunts. The silvicultural impacts, treated by a set of regulatory, administrative and technical procedures, will be subject to environmental authorization, including in particular a clearing authorization, and will involve compensatory afforestation greater than the area concerned. These elements will be discussed with the forestry industry and the general public.

ENGIE and NEOEN welcomed the decision taken by the CNDP on December 2, 2020, to organize a public debate, a step which will bring collective reflection to a scale consistent with the challenges of the project. This procedure will guarantee transparent information as well as broad expression of the territory concerned and of the public to achieve the best shared project.

Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet, Deputy CEO of ENGIE in charge of Renewables:
“The HORIZEO project is unprecedented and innovative in terms of its renewable energy production capacity and it goes much further by combining, on a single site, technologies of the future. It is also an ambitious project in its economic model, in which the energy produced will be valued through contracts for the sale of electricity by mutual agreement with companies, outside the tender procedures of the State and associated grants. This is a real break with the current economic model of renewable energies in France. We are also committed to carrying out an exemplary project in terms of environmental and societal approach. The upcoming public debate will allow us, in particular, to enrich and feed all the components of the project. ”

Paul-François Croisille, Deputy CEO of NEOEN:
“HORIZEO is a large-scale project which intends to demonstrate that it is possible to accelerate the energy transition in France by directly offering competitive renewable energy to companies. This project is designed as a true low-carbon energy platform combining mature solar energy with ambitious technological innovations, such as electricity storage batteries. Our priority is to integrate this project into the realities of the territory from an ecological, societal and economic point of view. In keeping with the unprecedented scale of the project, the public debate will make it possible to involve as widely as possible all local actors and the general public to develop all its potential for the benefit of the territory. »

ENGIE & renewable energies

Faced with the climate emergency, ENGIE’s raison d’être is to act to accelerate the energy transition to a carbon neutral economy. With 31 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energies installed around the world, the Group intends to take up the challenge of greening its customers’ energy mix. In France, ENGIE is the leader in the development of renewable solar and wind energy. The Group is present in all technological sectors and supports regions and companies in their carbon neutral strategy. Its teams are spread across the whole of France and operate 7.9 GW of renewable capacity (850 Megawatts in New Aquitaine) including 1.2 GW of photovoltaic capacity (391 Megawatts in New Aquitaine).

About ENGIE

We are a global benchmark group in low carbon energy and services. Our raison d’être is to act to accelerate the transition to a carbon neutral world, thanks to more energy-efficient and more environmentally friendly solutions, reconciling economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet. We rely on our key businesses (gas, renewable energies, services) to offer competitive solutions to our customers. With our 170,000 employees, customers, partners and stakeholders, we form a community of Imaginative Builders, committed every day to more harmonious progress. Revenue in 2019: 60.1 billion euros. Listed in Paris and Brussels (ENGIE), the Group is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and extra-financial (DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo Eiris – World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, CAC 40 Governance).

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