Orange has announced a partnership with Reservoir Sun, a pioneer in self-supply solar energy systems. The aim of this arrangement is to build a photovoltaic power plant at the major satellite communications station Bercenay-en-Othe (Aube), in order to provide environmentally favorable outcomes for France and Europe.
The communications corporation is shifting its usage toward renewable energy sources and speeding up the process by utilizing solar energy in its tertiary and technical facilities. The solar energy farm is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
A surface area of 50,000 square meters will be occupied by the farm. The power plant, which has a 5 MW capacity, 1 MW for self-consumption and 4 MW for reinjection, will provide 20% of the site’s energy requirements. Additionally, using low-carbon energy from the sun will reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 100 tons per year.
An environmental impact analysis study will be conducted starting on January 5th, 2023, in collaboration with DREAL (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning, and Housing), for a period of up to 12 months, to ascertain the project’s influence on live species at the site.
Michaël Trabbia, interim CEO for Orange Wholesale and International Networks, said: “We are happy and proud to launch an ambitious local solar farm project at our Bercenay-en-Othe site. This solar farm reflects our additionality approach and is fully in line with our strategy to develop the use of low-carbon energies, in order to contribute to our environmental commitments. This project thus contributes to securing our energy supply while decarbonizing our activities.
“Reservoir Sun is very proud to have been chosen by Orange as a trusted partner for its first solar power project on one of its own sites. We hope that this shared project will mark the start of a strong collaboration to take on the challenges of decarbonization and local energy production,” added Mathieu Cambet, Managing Director of Reservoir Sun.
