In France, global multi-energy major TotalEnergies SE has announced the commissioning of BioNorrois, its eighth biomethane production unit in France, and the second largest. Located in Fontaine-le-Dun, Normandy, it will inject 153 GWh of biomethane aka renewable natural gas (RNG) per year into the natural gas transport network operated by GRTgaz.
The French sugar and alcohol group Cristal Union, partner in the project and 10 percent shareholder, will provide sugarbeet pulp, a residue from its adjacent sugarbeet processing site in Fontaine-le-Dun, to the BioNorrois RNG plant, which will represent up to 80 percent of the 185,000 tonnes of feedstock materials used.
The 150,000 tonnes of digestate produced annually by the unit will be fully utilized by Cristal Union and the cooperative NatUp with partner farms, to support them in their transition to the use of sustainable and locally produced biofertilizers.
This new installation will save more than 5,500 tonnes of chemical fertilizers annually and avoid emitting 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Cooperative approach
The development of BioNorrois is the result of consultation with all local stakeholders, including more than 130 farmers and agri-food industries as well as local administrations and officials, allowing the project to adapt to the needs of the territory.
We are delighted with the commissioning of this new anaerobic digestion unit in Normandy, comparable in size to BioBéarn, our largest production site in France. With this new plant, which brings our biogas production capacity in the country to more than 800 GWh, TotalEnergies confirms its position as a major player in the market. With Cristal Union, we are partnering long-term with a robust, internationally recognized partner committed to sustainable growth of its activities. With this new biogas project, TotalEnergies continues to contribute to the promotion of a circular economy with multiple local benefits, the production of renewable energies, and the decarbonization of the French energy mix, said Karine Boissy-Rousseau, VP of Green Gases at TotalEnergies.
In France, TotalEnergies operates eight biomethane production units, which inject renewable natural gas (RNG) into the gas network, and eight biogas production units providing electricity and heat through cogeneration.
We are pleased with the commissioning of this biomethane production unit located close to our sugar factory in Fontaine-le-Dun. Cristal Union has been committed to decarbonizing its activities for over 20 years. Unlike many industries, we have an asset: the ability to valorize the residues of our production, beet pulp, and industrial effluents, and reuse them to produce energy through anaerobic digestion or combustion. This partnership with TotalEnergies is a full-scale project for the treatment of pulp. Beyond the production of biogas from our production residues, it will allow us to provide our partner farmers with digestate to spread on their fields. A true circular economy project, said Xavier Astolfi, General Manager of Cristal Union.
