Séché Environnement embarks on its project to build a new low-carbon industrial heating system in Plaine de l’Ain

An innovative project for energy sovereignty

Set to be completed by 2027, the aim of this ambitious project is to generate up to 27MW, or 160,000 MWh of heat (equivalent to the electricity consumption of 72,000 people), through energy recovery from industrial waste treated at the Séché Environnement Trédi plant in Saint Vulbas.

The energy will be supplied in the form of superheated steam and electricity (simultaneous production of thermal and electric energy via a cogeneration process) and transported using an underground network approximately 1.5 km long. It will initially supply the three primary energy users in the Plaine de l’Ain Industrial Park, which together account for a total of 70% of the Park’s heat consumption: the two Séché Environnement industrial facilities, Trédi (own use), and Speichim, the European leader in the purification of complex mixtures and the recycling of used solvents, as well as the neighboring Siegfried plant, which specializes in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products.

This energy will make it possible to meet all the energy needs of these three industrial sites, replacing 81,000 MWh in gas consumption each year, which would represent 14,000 MtCO2e avoided.

The project was officially launched at the Pollutec trade show in Lyon, with the signing of the joint development agreement on October 10 by the three entities involved: Trédi, Speichim and Siegfried. The project will also be a candidate for the French Environment and Energy Management Agency’s Fonds Chaleur fund, which exists to support facilities that recover and produce renewable heat. This public institution has already provided €26,000 in support for preliminary studies.

“This project is another illustration of our ambition to provide local, low-carbon energy to promote energy sovereignty in the regions where we operate. It’s a wholehearted contribution to the industrial decarbonization movement that Séché Environnement has been committed to for many years, working closely with local actors, as we’re doing in Plaine de l’Ain,” proclaims Maxime Séché, Chief Executive Officer of Séché Environnement.

An initial step toward the creation of a local ecosystem at the forefront of the campaign confronting environmental issues

Discussions surrounding this project have made it possible to identify new potential eco-friendly innovations for the PIPA industrial park. The long-term concept is therefore to make energy generation part of a broader industrial ecosystem at the PIPA industrial park, logistically combining the supply of raw materials and stream exchanges (hot water, demineralized water, oxygen, waste, etc.) in a way that reduces vehicle traffic, promotes recycling and waste recovery and saves energy, water and carbon emissions.