TotalEnergies Joins Forces with Cristal Union to Produce Biogas from Sugar Beet Pulp

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Rouen, February 29, 2024 – TotalEnergies and French sugar group Cristal Union have signed a fifteen-year agreement whereby the latter will supply TotalEnergies with sugar beet pulp as feedstock for its biomethane production unit BioNorrois, currently being built in Fontaine-le-Dun, in Normandy, and due to be commissioned in late 2024.

The organic waste produced by Cristal Union’s sugar beet processing will make up over half of the anaerobic digestion unit’s feedstock when it begins operations – the remainder being organic agri-food waste sourced by TotalEnergies from the unit’s local vicinity. During the first phase of the digester’s operations, biomethane production is expected to reach almost 100 GWh/year, eventually expanding to a maximum capacity of 153 GWh/year.

In the spirit of cooperation, value sharing and support for the local economy which has driven the project’s partners since its outset, the agreement provides for Cristal Union acquiring a 10% stake in the BioNorrois anaerobic digestion unit. This is the first such deal by a sugar manufacturer with the biogas industry in France and in Europe, and will be a key contributor to the group’s decarbonization strategy. The project also demonstrates a local, circular economy approach, as the anaerobic digestion unit is situated opposite the sugar factory. Furthermore, all the organic fertilizer, or digestate, produced in addition to biogas during the anaerobic digestion process will be recovered by Cristal Union and the farming cooperative NatUp, which will distribute it to their local members, thereby helping them achieve their transition to more local and sustainable methods of fertilization.

“Cristal Union has set itself an ambitious target: making all its sugar factories self-sufficient in energy by 2050, by recovering and re-using their production waste. This partnership with TotalEnergies, a full-scale project for the anaerobic digestion of sugar beet pulp, is fully in line with our Group’s ambitious decarbonization strategy. The biomethane plant currently under construction is the first of its kind in France, unique both for its production capacity using sugar beet pulp, and for its location next to the gates of the sugar factory in Fontaine-le-Dun. In addition, the digestate, which is rich in minerals and natural organic matter, will be delivered to our farming cooperative members to be used for soil fertilization and improvement. We are delighted to be working with TotalEnergies in this partnership built on trust, co-ownership, and long-term investment,” said Xavier Astolfi, Managing Director of Cristal Union.

“The BioNorrois project, which will be TotalEnergies’ second largest biomethane production unit in France, furthers our sustainable growth in the country, particularly in Normandy, a region with high potential. We are thrilled to have signed this partnership with Cristal Union, a French group with global reach and a major player in a manufacturing sector representing national excellence as well as sovereignty. Cristal Union is fully committed to the energy and environmental transition, and this partnership provides all the ecological and social benefits associated with anaerobic digestion for the parties concerned and, more widely, for the local area in which the project is fully integrated. This partnership could pave the way for other similar projects in France and in Europe,” said Olivier Guerrini, Vice President, Biogas at TotalEnergies.

BioNorrois in figures (for a maximum capacity of 153 GWh/year)

  • 185,000 tonnes of organic waste recycled each year
  • 150,000 m3 of digestate produced each year
  • 5,500 tonnes of chemical fertilizer avoided each year
  • 30,600 tonnes of CO2 prevented each year

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About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, more sustainable, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in nearly 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.

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