Bordeaux port city in the West of France has been one of LOTUS case study sites, where we focused on sustainable urban development projects. Two local heat distribution networks were created in the mid-2010s in the redesigned Bassins à Flot district to supply thermal energy to households, offices and commercial spaces. In the Chartrons heat network, thermal energy is generated by recovering heat from a local sewage treatment plant. Whereas, in the Bacalan network, the main resource is biomass, and natural gas provides additional energy in winter time.
In Summer 2021, the joint stock company Énergie des Bassins signed a contract with local suppliers to use regionally generated biomethane from intermediate crops as a partial replacement to natural gas (50%). This case illustrates the feasibility of gradually replacing natural gas in heat production processes. Bordeaux Metropolitan authorities are currently developing strategies for the increase of local biogas production from sewage treatment facilities, that currently generate 13 GWh/year, hoping to achieve 50 GWh by the late 2020s.
Read more: « Du biogaz pour les réseaux de chaleur », Bordeaux Métropole Energies, [https://www.bm-energies.com/2022/09/15/du-biogaz-pour-les-reseaux-de-chaleur/] / and / Bordeaux Métropole, « Bordeaux Métropole produit son énergie renouvelable. Dossier de presse », 17 septembre 2021 [https://www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/]
