In Martinique, independent energy provider Albioma SA has recently announced the industrial commissioning of its 40 MW 100 percent bagasse/biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant, Galion 2. The tests at the plant which began January 2018, were able to provide the Galion sugar refinery with the steam that is needed during the sugar campaign and compliance tests with the EDF standard were carried out during the summer.
According to a statement, the validation of the results of this last stage enables the launch of the contract concluded with global energy major EDF for a period of 30 years. Due to the extension of the commissioning schedule, the investment of the project for France-headed Albioma amounts to EUR 210 million.
Dedicated to the production of renewable energy, this 40 MW installed capacity plant will supply electricity for Martinique’s electricity grid all year round, from the combustion of bagasse, a fibrous residue of sugarcane, along with other local forms of biomass and wood residues from sustainably managed forests.
First-of-its-kind in overseas France
A unique partnership with the sugar industry developed for more than 20 years, Galion 2 will also supply steam to supply the Galion sugar refinery, Albioma’s historic partner, as part of a virtuous exchange. Galion 2 has become the first 100 percent bagasse/biomass plant in the French overseas departments.
Like all of the Group’s thermal power plants located in overseas France, Mauritius and Brazil, Galion 2 combines state-of-the-art technology and innovation by implementing the principle of the circular economy: the power plant provides the site’s sugar refinery with a solution that improves its energy supply by optimising the recovery of sugarcane residue, bagasse.
Triple renewable power on Martinique
More generally, Galion 2 allows the creation of more than 40 direct jobs and contributes to sustaining the agricultural, economic, industrial and social fabric of Martinique. A power plant supporting the energy transition, the Galion 2 plant will triple renewable electricity production on the island, from 7 percent to 22 percent and will contribute to the shift towards a lower-carbon energy mix in Martinique, in compliance with the strictest environmental standards.
In the current context of the energy transition, the solutions offered by Albioma for the production of stable and renewable energy, from biomass, make it possible to guarantee the stability of the power grids and thus increase the share of intermittent energy sources such as solar power, particularly in isolated areas where the network is fragile.
