TSE is proud to inaugurate the 2nd largest photovoltaic power plant in France

Gradual commissioning between May and September 2021

This official inauguration marks the culmination of a large-scale project carried out on 155 hectares of land. Starting in June 2020, the Marville power plant now includes around 364,000 solar modules, some of which have innovative bifacial technology. Thanks to a total installed capacity of 152 MWc (megawatt-peak), it produces around 160 GWh/year, i.e. the equivalent of 90% of the annual consumption of the City of Verdun.

Its development was carried out in partnership with the company Enerparc AG, which builds and owns the eastern half. For TSE, the western half of the power plant was commissioned in May 2021. For its part, the eastern half was put into service at the beginning of September 2021.

Located on a former NATO military base used by the Canadian Air Forces from 1955 to 1967 and purchased in 2006 by the Community of Municipalities of the Pays de Montmédy, the design of the solar power plant is based on numerous studies, which made it possible to assess environmental issues.

A new step towards the preservation of biodiversity

Over a period of 30 years, TSE plans to conduct a very ambitious program to preserve and redeploy biodiversity through 3 types of actions: the deartificialization of soils, the restoration of a mosaic of grasslands, and the limitation of invasive plant species. All of these actions, which are voluntary measures that do not result from any obligation, were defined in partnership with CDC Biodiversity, a subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts.

In addition, TSE delegated the management of grass areas to a young local organic sheep farmer who was able to set up shop thanks to this project. Thus, the fodder resources of the park will be valued by sheep eco-grazing with a herd of around 1000 heads.

For Pierre-Yves Lambert, CEO of TSE: “The Marville power plant will allow very high electricity production, when there will be the least amount of sunshine. The interest is of course economic but above all meets our ambitions on the energy transition. And we are right in the middle of it with completely renewable production. It is a successful reconversion that takes into account existing activities such as the aerodrome, biodiversity and agricultural activity.”

The Community of Municipalities of Pays de Montmedy involved in the energy transition

The photovoltaic power plant project on the Marville base was able to see the light of day thanks to the involvement of the Community of Municipalities of the Pays de Montmedy, which wanted to engage in the energy transition, by giving a second life to this military wasteland: producing energy from renewable sources.

This project is fully in line with the guidelines of the Lorraine Regional Climate Air Energy Plan (SRCAE), as well as with the objectives of the Multiannual Energy Program, adopted at the end of April, which aims to develop renewable energies and reduce carbon emissions.