Brief
Lecta Group’s paper mill in Condat is a large energy user, operating 24/7 all year round to produce 450,000 tonnes of paper annually. It strengthens the local economy by providing 550 direct jobs. With the goal of decarbonising their industrial process heat, reducing their energy costs and restoring an unused area formerly used for sludge storage, Lecta Group partnered with Newheat. As a solution, Newheat has designed, developed, financed and built a 3 MWth solar thermal plant. The system was designed to maximize energy production while maintaining a competitive price.
Technology
This solar thermal plant uses flat plate collectors manufactured by Meriaura Energy and installed on single-axis trackers. The whole solar field is located on an old paper sludge storage area of 4,212m2, contributing to the rehabilitation of this space in consultation with the environmental authority.
Solar heat is used to preheat the feed water for the steam boilers, from river temperature up to 90°C, which falls within the optimal operating range for flat plate collectors. The use of single-axis trackers – an innovative first of its kind – increases energy production per square meter and allows for precise regulation of the system’s output.
For a duration of 25 years, the renewable plant will be operated by Newheat to produce competitive and local solar thermal energy. Thanks to an annual production of 3,900 MWh, the industrial site will reduce its CO2 emissions by 1,078 tonnes per year.
Financial Structure
The investment cost for the project accounts to 2.2 million euros. Financial support was provided by the Fonds Chaleur of ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) and complemented by investments of three regional energy transition funds as minority shareholders. This support was crucial in making the project more competitive for the end user compared to the very low fossil fuel price at the time.