Greater Nantes and Carène have renewed their trust in Veoliafor the management of the Couëron (France) WasteTreatment and Recovery Center

Greater Nantes has just renewed their contract for the operation of the Couëron (44) WasteTreatment and Recovery Center (CTVD) with Veolia Recyclage & Valorisation des Déchets, fora total revenue of €332 million including €45 million for works. This new contract, which entersinto effect on March 1, 2019, ties in with the French law on the energy transition and involvesthe recovery of the 185,000 metric tons of waste delivered to the center. It will be used togenerate 30,000 MWh of electricity each year, the equivalent annual consumption of 1,900households. The plant will also produce 75,000 MWh of heat, the annual consumption of 7,100household equivalents (that is 7,100 dwellings with a surface area of 80 m2 each occupied byfour people). This heat will be supplied to the Nantes district heating network starting inOctober 2019, as well as 28,800 MWh of steam to an industrial concern.

The CTVD, located in Couëron, has been operated by Veolia – a key player in the area of wastetreatment and recovery – since it was originally commissioned in 1994. “​The renewal of the Couëron CTVD operation contract for a further 15 years reflects the trust local authorities have in Veolia’sexpertise. We were able to present an offer tailored to their needs, and which provides both optimumperformance and complies with their technical, energy and environmental commitments. Veolia hasonce again demonstrated the Group’s ability to work with regions in helping them implement theirenergy transition policy,” ​explained Bernard Harambillet, Chief Executive Officer of the France WasteSolutions.

Comprehensive waste recovery solutions

The Couëron CTVD currently has 90 employees. The business is divided into three complementarysegments which together recover the 185,000 metric tons of waste delivered to the plant and specifiedin the new contract: energy recovery from household waste, sorting selective collection, and treatmentof unsorted waste from drop-off centers.

Over the years, the site has been adapted and updated in anticipation of new European standards anda comprehensive environmental approach has been introduced resulting in the plant’s gaining fivecertifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 18001, ISO 50001 and Biodiversity Commitment. With this new contract, a further €45 million worth of work is planned at the CTVD.

The energy recovery unit ​will recover 98% of the household waste as energy, backfill, ferrous andnon-ferrous materials and road sub-base (clinker). It produces electricity and steam energy from thewaste’s combustion. From 2020, the site will generate 30,000 MWh of electricity a year (comparedwith the current 22,000), that is the ​equivalent annual consumption of 1,900 households. The plant alsoproduces 75,000 MWh of heat, that is the annual consumption of 7,100 dwelling equivalents (that is7,100 dwellings with a surface area of 80 m2 each occupied by four people). This steam is currentlyused to supply part of the process needs of the Arcelor Mittal facility alongside the CTVD. FromOctober 2019, the plant will supply steam to the Nantes district heating network and continue to supply28,800 MWh of steam to Arcelor Mittal.

Selective collection sorting center​. ​A new unit will be entirely rebuilt and will have the capacity toprocess almost 45,000 metric tons of waste from the selective collection each year, starting in 2020.This facility will use the latest, cutting-edge process and will include two stand-out innovations forsorting plastic resins. In line with past performance, the site will recover 100% of the waste collectedfrom household selective sorting: ​96% as material (sent to specialist recycling businesses) and ​4%recovered as energy (sorting waste).

Solid recovered fuel (SRF) production unit ​will process part of the non-sorted waste from the wastedrop-off centers around Greater Nantes. It will be combined with the sorting waste as well as certainexternal infeed to produce high quality SRF which can then be used in the appropriate boilers.

Commitment to biodiversity and education

In 2016, the CTVD was the first such unit to be certified Biodiversity Commitment by ECOCERTEnvironnement. While developing its industrial activity, Veolia also sought to protect and enhance thesite’s ecological potential. As a result, ​Angelica heterocarpa​, an endemic aquatic plant, has beenprotected at the site and a specific biodiversity area has been set aside at the site’s entrance. Veolia is keen to involve the local public in the operation of this industrial site through a range ofeducational and informative tools. The Ecopole, a dedicated communication space at the site, will beentirely reviewed for September 2020 to provide increasingly informative and relevant content.

The new contract in figures

• Concession by Nantes Métropole and Carène renewed with Veolia through to 2034.
• 90 employees.
• Revenue: €22.13 million per year
• €45 million works: €25.3 million for the selective collection sorting center; €16.4 million for the energy recoveryunit and €3.3 million for the SRF unit.
• 185,000 metric tons of waste delivered to the center annually
• 98% recovery of household waste
• 100% recovery of waste from selective collection sorting
• 75 GWh of heat produced
• 30 GWh of electricity generated
• 5 certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 18001, ISO 50001 and Biodiversity Commitment
• 10,000 visitors a year

Source of information

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