La Feuillane, a TotalEnergies solar power plant located in Fos-sur-Mer is the subject of an inauguration ceremony.
A local project
La Feuillane is located on a 49-hectare derelict area belonging to the Société du Pipeline Sud Européen (SPSE). The project has a capacity of 33MWp and will be able to produce 55GWh of electricity. It will provide electricity (excluding heating) to approximately 33,000 inhabitants.
This solar project makes it possible to develop an unexploited land while respecting and protecting the local biodiversity. Thus, the site hosts spaces allowing the nesting of the black kite. In addition, La Feuillane will be maintained thanks to the presence of sheep that will come to graze.
In addition, SPSE operates a hydrocarbon storage and transportation pipeline system. Located near hydrocarbon tanks, the land is not suitable for agriculture. Thus, the vocation of the parcels concerned by the project does not compete with other uses.
La Feuillane has about 80,000 photovoltaic panels with integrated trackers. The mobile mechanical system allows the panels to change their orientation angle following the path of the sun. Thus, the solar power plant will avoid the emission of 16,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
A power plant on trackers
The plant was the subject of two participatory financing campaigns open to the inhabitants of the Bouches-du-Rhône and neighboring departments. This approach made it possible to raise €3.25 million. Thus, the 109 subscribers will benefit from economic spin-offs thanks to their involvement in the energy transition.
The construction site will start in September 2020 and will be completed with the industrial commissioning in February 2022. Thus, the work on La Feuillane was completed more than 2 months ahead of schedule. One of the main challenges around the construction was the integration of the security standards inherent to this type of site.
The automation of the unpacking of the panels allowed, on this site, to limit the risks of handling. In addition, it saved valuable time. TotalEnergies also installed fencing and a fire system connected to the SPSE system.
Erwan Sauvegrain, Chief Operating Officer, TotalEnergies Renouvelables France, said:
“We are very proud to have built and commissioned the largest power plant in France using trackers. To achieve this, we had to implement a schedule and solutions adapted to the safety level of the site and the environmental challenges. It is thanks to a close dialogue with SPSE, the administration and our subcontractors that we were able to commission this plant more than 2 months ahead of the initial schedule.
TotalEnergies Renouvelables France is a major player in mainland France and the French overseas territories, active in three sectors: wind power, photovoltaic and hydroelectric. The company has a total of 1.6GW of installed capacity in more than 400 plants.
