Compiègne DH going green with the support of ENGIE Solutions

Last October , the city of Compiègne and ENGIE Solutions undertook work to “green” the urban heating network by building a biomass boiler-house which allows 65% of renewable energy to be integrated into the energy mix for heat production. The City of Compiègne has unanimously confirmed the amendment to the Public Service Delegation contract aimed at greening and optimising the resources of its heating network, in particular by means of the construction of a 13.5 MW biomass boiler-house and the extension for another 8 years, of its partnership with ENGIE.

The current energy mix of the heating network is entirely composed of fossil fuels : 60 % gas, 37 % cogeneration and 3 % heating oil. The construction of the biomass boiler-house will allow 65 % of renewable energy to be introduced into the heating network energy mix. Built in 1966, the heating network of Compiègne currently extends over 16 km (via 66 delivery points). It provides heat and domestic hot water to residential buildings, social housing but also communal buildings such as the Conference Centre, the Music School, the Pompidou School complex and the Technical University of Compiègne (Research and Computer Engineering Transfer Centre). Well established locally, ENGIE Solutions is using its skill and know-how of biomass, to help the Town of Compiègne with the energy transition of its heating network. The wood-energy resource mainly comes from the Picardy forests, situated within a 100 km radius and will supply the equivalent of 9,000 residential units with heat. In total, nearly 11 million Euro will be invested to green and optimise the town’s heating network installation.

The operation of a bio-mass boiler-house is based on the combustion of recovered wood. It can be in different forms, forest timber (forest waste, wood chips), pallet wood (boxes, crates) or from the wood products industry (bark, sawdust, chips). The wood is fed into the boiler. This is equipped with a network of piping in which water circulates. In contact with the heat, the water heats up to temperatures between 70° and 180°. It is then injected into the urban heating network to provide heat and domestic hot water to district buildings.

The Compiègne heating network in figures:

• 65% renewable and recovered energy

• 65 GWh

• 16 km of networks

• 66 sub-stations

• 9 000 equivalent residential units connected

• Districts served: Capucins, Saint-Germain, Clos des roses, Les Maréchaux

• Total investment: €11 M

Provisional calendar for the work:

• December 2019 to April 2020: technical consultations

• April 2020: choice of technical solutions retained

• Winter 2020 – Autumn 2021: construction of the biomass boiler-house

• Winter 2021: tests and commissioning of the biomass boiler-house

About the Town of Compiègne

With 44,000 inhabitants, the Town of Compiègne in the Oise Region, is an attractive town and has the added benefit of an exceptional geographical location close to Paris. Its attractiveness centres around a number of assets that the Agglomeration of the Compiègne Region knows how to highlight and which provide many advantages for the location and the development of companies and employee satisfaction.

The town has many economic assets in its area with special attention given to the quality of its environment with many green spaces, helping it to achieve the label “Flowered Towns and Villages”, a system of combating waste and care given to urban cleanliness with for example an ant-graffiti brigade and a commitment to « Zero pesticides “. With its special concern for the well-being for all and the preservation of lifestyle, the greening of its heating network fits fully into the urban planning of the region.

About ENGIE Solutions

ENGIE Solutions is a brand that groups together ENGIE Ineo, ENGIE Axima, ENGIE Cofely and ENGIE Réseaux. In France, ENGIE Solutions employs 50,000 people with various skills, capable of working alongside cities and communities, industry and service sector businesses and providing them with a solution to the energy transition challenge. Factory performance, user comfort and regional appeal are at the heart of the ENGIE Solutions value proposal with a zero carbon target.