Updated on 13/07 at 10am
The SNCF is continuing to secure its supply of sustainable electricity. A few days after announcing its launch in the production of energy from photovoltaic panels, the railway company is unveiling a partnership with the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR). For the largest purchase contract ever signed in France in wind-generated electricity.
France's leading producer of 100 % renewable electricity, CNR has long relied on the energy of the Rhône to produce hydroelectricity, and for several years has been working to make the most of other natural energy sources - wind and sun - particularly through its subsidiary Vensolair. Vensolair has agreed to supply SNCF Energie, a subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs, 88 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity per year over a 25-year period. " By making a 25-year commitment alongside CNR, SNCF Voyageurs is taking a long-term gamble to secure the price and source of its electricity. "said Laurence Borie-Bancel, Chairman of CNR.
This large-scale purchase contract will require the construction of two wind farms starting this autumn in Haute-Vienne and Eure-et-Loir. The two wind farms are due to come on stream in 2024, with a total of 12 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 36 megawatts. Enough to supply the SNCF with the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of RER D. " With the 15,000 trains we operate every day, we offer passengers the most carbon-free mobility solution thanks to electricity.commented Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. With this unprecedented contract with CNR, we are taking concrete action to strengthen the stability of our supply and our share of electricity from renewable sources. ".
Eventually, SNCF Voyageurs should be able to avoid the emission of 4000 tCO2eq each yearThis is part of its ambition to use 40 to 50 % of renewable energy to power its trains by 2026. In addition to its own recently announced production, half of this energy will come from "corporate PPA" contracts, such as the one signed with CNR or the one signed last year with Reden, the latter for electricity produced by photovoltaic panels.
On 13 July, the SNCF announced another purchase contract for wind-generated electricity, this time with Voltalia, an international player in renewable energies. This long-term
The 25-year contract covers the entire output of a power station in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Equipped with 17 wind turbines, its annual production will be around 78 gigawatt hours, or 1.4% of SNCF Voyageurs' traction electricity consumption.
