Geothermal heating plant inaugurated in Vélizy-Villacoublay, France

The city of Vélizy-Villacoublay in the surroundings of the French capital Paris has inaugurated a new geothermal plant. We previously reported on the project, which now provides geothermal heat to the local district heating system.  By using an unprecedented drilling technique to a depth of 1,500 meters, the town provides 60% of renewable energy on its heating network. A saving which should be reflected in the user bill.

“As of today, the [price of MWh thermal] goes from EUR 125 to EUR 93. Residents will save 25% on their heating bill from December. For a family of five, this represents EUR 500 in savings per year. Pascal Thévenot,  the mayor (DVD) of Vélizy-Villacoublay is delighted. This Tuesday, the mayor inaugurated Véligeo, an exclusive geothermal network in Europe drawing heat from a depth of 1,500 meters.

To achieve this technological feat, the town worked with Engie Solutions, ADEME (the Ile-de-France Ecological Transition Agency) and the regional council. Together, they invested EUR 25 million . “We took the risk of doing the work from the paper studies, because the soil had not been characterized,” recalls the city council. The theory finally became reality. 1.5 kilometers below the surface on the ground, the water tables contain water at a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius.

“We are going to replace up to 60% of the production of the network which until now operated exclusively on gas,” says Cécile Prévieu, deputy general manager of the Engie group. The lifespan of a borehole is thirty years and the energy of the Earth is infinite underground. The device also makes it possible to limit the nuisances linked to the comings and goings of the trucks which usually supply the network with energy.

A pioneer in the process, Vélizy-Villacoublay is not the only one to tackle the subject. Discussions are underway with several municipalities, particularly in Yvelines and Hauts-de-Seine, to duplicate Véligéo.

“We have good basements in Ile-de-France so it is intended to expand,” said Yann Wehrling, vice-president of the regional council in charge of ecological transition. We combine environmental and social issues, we get rid of fuel oil and fossil fuels, and the inhabitants regain a little purchasing power. Since 2007, the region has supported 80 renewable heat projects to the tune of EUR 98 million.