Geothermal industrial power station in Rittershoffen
Overview
Ritthershoffen is a French commune located in the historic and cultural region of Alsace. It is home to a unique geothermal power station inaugurated in 2016 by Ségolène Royal, the Minister for Environment at the time.
The power station supplies steam to a starch plant belonging to the Roquette agri-food group, a world leader in plant-based ingredients and a pioneer in new plant proteins. The power station has a power of 24 MW and can extract water at a very high temperature at a depth of 2.5 kilometres to supply steam to the starch plant.
“France can be proud of this world first. It’s a tremendous hope for many countries that don’t have access to electricity”
“A world first”
The Rittershoffen geothermal power station is the first deep geothermal power station for industrial use to be built.
The geothermal power station will increase the share of renewable energy in Roquette’s industrial site by 75%. By replacing the site's gas supply, 39,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the course of a year will be saved thanks to geothermal energy.
Not only is a high quantity of carbon dioxide avoided, but a secure energy price is also guaranteed for the industrial site. Geothermal energy provides a fixed price on a constant and permanent basis.
“These two factors of stability are essential for the competitiveness of a major consumer site”
Investment history
The plant was built within the ECOGI project by the company of the same name, created in 2011 by the Électricité de Strasbourg Group (ÉS), Roquette Frères and Caisse des Dépôts, which is the project manager. CFG Services oversees the project management.
The project was supported by the public authorities, notably via ADEME's Renewable Heat Fund for the heat production part and the Alsace Region.
Comprising of a mix of national funding through France’s Renewable Heat Fund (€18+6 million) and private investment (€31 million), the overall total budget was €55 million.
“The Rittershoffen project has led us to strengthen our commitment to all forms of renewable energy. The technology has now been mastered and is environmentally friendly, without fracturing the subsoil”. ”
Technical aspects
With the use of a pumping system, the water is brought to the surface, where it then passes through a heat exchanger. The thermal energy from this water at 165°C is used to heat a secondary water circuit, which is transported to the Roquette plant via a 15-kilometre underground pipeline. Once the heat it carries has been recovered, the water is reinjected into the earth's subsoil.
Summary
Depth of drilling: 2 wells (2.560 m and 3000 m)
Total length of wells: 15 km
Geothermal power: 24 MW
Temperature of the water drawn: 165˚C
Units covered: 27,000 homes
Total amount of investments: EUR 55 million
Public contribution: EUR 24 million (France’s Renewable Heat Fund)
CO2 emissions avoided: 43.000 tons CO2 emissions spared per year