Biogas in France: TotalEnergies starts its second-largest unit in Normandy

TotalEnergies on Wednesday announced the commissioning of BioNorrois, its 8^th biomethane production unit in France, located in Fontaine-le-Dun (Normandy). It will inject 153 GWh of biomethane per year into the natural gas transport network operated by GRTgaz, equivalent to the average annual gas consumption of more than 30,000 inhabitants, the company said.

The French sugar group Cristal Union, partner in the project and 10% shareholder, will provide beet pulp, residues from its adjacent production site, to the biomethane plant, which will represent up to 80% of the 185,000 tons of organic materials used, TotalEnergies said.

The 150,000 tons of digestate produced annually by the unit will be fully utilised by Cristal Union and the Norman cooperative NatUp with partner farms, to support them in their transition to the use of sustainable and locally produced fertilisers. This new territorial installation will save more than 5,500 tons of chemical fertilisers each year and avoid emitting 30,000 tons of CO₂.

Major biogas player

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 BioBearn, 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,” said Karine Boissy-Rousseau, Vice President Green Gases at TotalEnergies.

“With Cristal Union, we are partnering long-term with a robust, internationally recognised 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 decarbonisation of the French energy mix,” he added.

Xavier Astolfi, General Manager of Cristal Union, said: “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 decarbonising its activities for over 20 years. Unlike many industries, we have an asset: the ability to valorise 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.”