Evwind, Other renewables

EDF Completes Europe’s Largest Photovoltaic Plant in France

Continuing its drive to commission its major solar projects in France, EDF Energies Nouvelles announces the commissioning of Toul-Rosières solar power plant in the Lorraine region of eastern France, with an installed capacity of 115 MWp.

The project involved decontamination and conversion of a former military base.

Located close to Nancy in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of eastern France, the Toul-Rosières photovoltaic plant is a trail-blazing project supported by local officials and community, which made local jobs and the highest environmental standards its top priorities. This large-scale plant is equipped with around 1.4 million next-generation “thin-film” photovoltaic panels manufactured by First Solar. The power generated at this plant will be equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of some 55,000 people and eliminate around 4,600 tonnes of CO2 emissions p.a.

In addition, this power plant project has revived a former air base and cleaned up pollution at the site: asbestos was removed from 170 buildings, 280 were demolished, oil tanks and several kilometres of networks were emptied and 8,000 tonnes of polluted soil were cleared.

“Located on abandoned land on the site of former NATO’s air base, the Toul facility represents an ambitious conversion project, which has led to the decontamination of the site and given it a second lease of life in the generation of green electricity”, stated Yvon André, Chief Executive Officer of EDF EN France. “This project has been achieved thanks to a successful cooperation with the entire local community and a constant focus on environmental performance.” 

Initiated in 2009, the power plant project was developed and built by EDF EN France and has been commissioned gradually since May 2012. Operations and maintenance are managed by EDF EN Services, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles.

The commissioning of the Toul photovoltaic power plant follows on from that of the Massangis (56 MWp, Burgundy) plant in October and of the Crucey (60 MWp, Centre) plant in September, two projects focused on rejuvenating the land.

Operating in Europe and North America, EDF Energies Nouvelles is a market leader in green electricity production, with a portfolio of 4,200 MW of gross installed capacity. With a development focused on wind and solar photovoltaic energy, the Company recently entered 3 new promising markets: Israel, Morocco and South Africa, and is expanding its business in offshore wind energy. The Company is also present in other segments of the renewable energy market: marine energy, biogas, biomass and small hydro as well as in distributed energies. EDF EN manages renewable energy projects’ development, financing, construction as well as operation and maintenance for its own accord and for third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF Group and its renewable energy arm.