Biodiversity in the spotlight at La Métairie

Stéphane Michel, President Gas Renewables & Power TotalEnergies

We’re on the site of La Métairie in Gien. Today is a symbolic occasion: it’s World Environment Day, and we’re here to inaugurate this 55 MW solar plant, TotalEnergies’ largest in France.

We know that climate change is affecting biodiversity worldwide. But biodiversity is also an everyday local issue in our regions. So when we set up a solar or wind farm, we have to take local biodiversity into account and work to preserve it.

That’s why we apply, at all sites and on all projects, the ARC principle: "Avoid, Reduce, Compensate". The La Métairie site is exemplary: this morning the teams explained everything they have done to apply the method.

Paul Illac, Environmental Studies & Expertise Division Manager TotalEnergies Renewables France

First, the method consists of preventing any impact, for example rescaling the project, or avoiding wetlands for the installation of panels.

After that stage, we look at reduction. Reduction measures involve conservation grazing which maintain the vegetation in the solar plant by preserving the natural cycles of biodiversity.

So we ask local farmers to bring their sheep or goats to graze all year round. And finally, we have compensation measures. They consist in recreating habitats that are favorable to biodiversity:for example, ponds for amphibians and insects, either on or near our plants. These environmental commitments are respected throughout the life of the plant. That’s 25-30 years. We ask independent experts to accompany us in this process.

- The location is…

- Yes. This meets the specifications.

Laurent Lebot, Ecology Engineer Thema Environment

We were involved in this project very early on, when the first environmental surveys were done. And we were selected by TotalEnergies to monitor construction and ecological measures. That’s the multi chamber bat house. The location is really good.

For example, we made technical recommendations for the bat house set up on the site, and we were consulted about the plant species for the hedgerows that will be planted at the entrance to the solar park.

We felt listened to by TotalEnergies. All the recommendations we made were followed, for the protection of trees, wetlands, so the ecosystems on this site are fully protected.

Stéphane Michel, President Gas Renewables & Power TotalEnergies

An activity is not sustainable if it does not respect the environment. At GRP we discontinued some projects last year because we were not confident that we could control their impact. That’s a major paradigm shift. We have to keep doing that.