If you want something done right, do it yourself. Spurred on by the sudden surge in energy prices following the crisis in Ukraine, and driven by eco-responsible issues, the SNCF has decided to become a solar energy producer. To this end, the rail group has launched SNCF Renouvelables, a new subsidiary dedicated to the production of solar energy. the installation of solar power plants on its land reserves, the SNCF being the second largest owner in France after the State, with all its buildings, car parks and track approaches.
By 2030, the SNCF aims to install 1,000 megawatts-peak (MWp) of photovoltaic capacity on an initial 1,000-hectare site. That's equivalent to the output of a nuclear reactor which will provide 15% to 20 % of its electricity needs. Through its subsidiary AREP, SNCF Gares & Connexions has already installed solar panels in a number of stations, including Nîmes Pont du Gard, Valence and Avignon - and soon Angers, Mouchard and Paris Nord - and the deployment of these new production capacities will start this year on an initial batch of around thirty sites, combining ground-mounted power plants, building roofs and car park shades.
With its own energy production, SNCF will obviously be able to secure part of its supply while keeping production costs under control in a tight market, where more than 80 % trains currently run on electricity. But, given the energy weight of the rail group, EDF's biggest customer with almost 10 % of French industrial consumptionOn a larger scale, this plan contributes to national ambitions to reduce carbon emissions.
" These are the kinds of opportunities that renewable energies now offer. Well done to the SNCF for being a pioneer in this field!" said the French Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. " This strategic choice is fully in line with our raison d'être, with the SNCF's mission, which is to provide a response to our country's ecological transition" commented SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou, interviewed this morning on France Inter's Matinale programme. Another advantage of this virtuous circle is that " the revenue that SNCF will earn from this electricity production will be used to finance the regeneration of the rail network" according to Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport.
However, the group has no intention of stopping there and intends to go even further in the future. " My vision is to see solar panels installed on 10,000 ha, i.e. ten times more than that forecast for 2030" commented Jean-Pierre Farandou on France Inter. A second phase that still depends on technological innovations and the development of long solar panels that can be installed along non-trafficked roads. " According to manufacturers, this is possible by 2030" He sees reasons to wait: with such a production capacity, his group would be entirely self-sufficient in electricity.
