Translations Best practice in Spanish version Best practice in French version Best practice in English version

ROQUETTE becomes involved in renewable energies (geothermal technology & biomass) at its site in Alsace

4. Environment

Energy / Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

Context

Roquette is a French company present on 3 continents (21 production sites) that processes plant raw materials. Its starch-related activity is highly energy-consuming, with significant steam requirements. At its site in Alsace, the company is making progress in two projects focused on the production of thermal energy from renewable energies: geothermal technology and biomass.

With an industrial presence on 3 continents encompassing 21 production sites, the company consumed over 7,000 GWh (109 Wh) of natural gas in 2015. With these projects, the site should reduce its fossil energy dependency by a factor of 4.

Objectives

  • To cut down CO2 emissions by at least 75% (i.e. 110,000 T/annum)
  • To change the site’s energy balance
  • To diversify the type of energy used on-site
  • To cover more than 75% of the Beinheim site’s steam requirements

APPROACH

Biomass: At the end of 2011, the new wood biomass-fed boiler was commissioned at the Beinheim site (France). This boiler has a steam production capacity of 60 T/hr and consumes more than 150,000 tonnes of wood-energy per year, managed in a sustainable manner and produced locally, within a 100 km radius around the site. Power delivered is of 43 thermal MW. The facility provides more than 50% of the site’s steam requirements, each year saving 29,000 toe (tons of oil equivalent) in gas and avoiding the release of 75,000 tons of fossil CO2. Geothermal technology: Thanks to the geothermal potential of the “geological abnormality” of the Alsatian sub-soil, the plant will be able to replace part of the natural gas it uses to produce steam: the technology is based on the fracturing of hot rock. It should be noted that this 100 % geothermal technology project (i.e. dedicated to the production of super-heated water) is a world first.

Best Practice selected by the Lille World Forum in 2010 and updated in 2015 for its evolution. 

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

  • Image of a responsible business
  • Use of renewable energies
  • Reduction of the site's energy bill.

Benefits

  • The two projects combined should  eventually lead to a reduction in CO2  emissions of nearly 75%
  • Biomas: supply: wood-based approved by the energy team appointed by the  “Prefecture”
Workforce
8000 (2015)
Turnover
3,3 Milliards € (2015)
Country
France

ROQUETTE

Rue de la Haute Loge
62136 Lestrem

www.roquette.fr

Contact

Anne LAMBIN, Responsable Développement Durable, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Marie-Gabrielle BAILLY, Chargée de mission Développement Durable, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mise à jour le 31/08/2016

Creative Commons Attribution This work by Réseau Alliances – World Forum Lille is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.