Biomass plant to power Solvay site

Brussels - Solvay has gained approval from the French authorities to establish a biomass thermal power plant to supply energy to its Tavaux, France site from 2010. The plant, which will be built and operated by the French energy group Dalkia, will reduce the fossil fuel consumption of the Tavaux site, while cutting CO2 emissions by 20%, the company said.

Half of the biomass consumed in Tavaux will come from recycling; the rest will consist of lopped-off branches generated by existing operations of the forestry industry. The biomass power plant in Tavaux will involve a total investment of Euro67 million and create 50 new jobs. The plant will generate both 30 megawatts of electricity and 30 tonnes/hour of steam for Solvay's manufacturing operations, while the electricity will be sold by Dalkia to Electricité de France (EDF).

"With this new plant, Solvay and its partner Dalkia are making a substantial contribution to France's commitment to develop energy production from renewable resources," said Jean-Michel Mesland, general manager for Research and Technology, Solvay. "Our plans in Tavaux, as well as our secondary solid fuel project in Bernburg, Germany, illustrate Solvay¹s long-standing policy of diversifying energy sources, to foster the group¹s sustainable and profitable development."

Dalkia is a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement and EDF. With nearly 55 000 employees and sales of around Euro7.9 billion, the company is a major European provider of energy services to local authorities and businesses.