DRT announces commissioning of biomass power station in France

World leader in the development of rosin and turpentine extracted from pine trees, DRT is pleased to announce that a biomass cogeneration power plant at its site in Vielle-Saint-Girons, France, has become reality with the commissioning of the power station. This installation reaffirms DRT’s position as a pioneer in responsible chemistry, committed to the environment and to the use of renewable energies.

With the creation of the company Biomass Energy Solutions VSG—bringing together DRT, Cofely (GDF SUEZ Group) and the Caisse des Dépôts—DRT has built a cogeneration power station at its site in Vielle-Saint-Girons that is able to reuse local biomass. After a four-month testing phase, the power plant was officially put in service in the beginning of 2015.

“Our ambition with the installation of a biomass power plant was to substitute the consumptions of fossil energies while using by-products obtained from the distillation of tall oil. One-hundred-fifty-thousand tons per year of biomass used, 97 GWh and 214 GWh of steam generated without fossil carbons, more than de 65 percent efficiency compared to 35 percent efficiency for a conventional power plant, 20,000 tons of CO2 in less per year, €9 million per year in the local wood energy industry… the figures speak for themselves,” said Eric Moussu, sales and marketing director.

In a continuous effort to reduce the impact of industrial activities on the environment, DRT has made the search for alternatives to petroleum-based products its top priority. This project is therefore a natural continuation of the work initiated by DRT in eco-friendly developments. Indeed, this biomass-based cogeneration power plant will allow to substitute the major part of the fossil energy consumed by the site of Vielle-Saint-Girons. Its operating will allow to thereby prevent the emission of more than 400,000 tons of CO2 over 20 years of operation, equivalent to the emissions of 8,000 motor vehicles. From an economic point of view, 15 jobs will be created on site as well as in the local wood energy sector. In all, the project will create over 50 jobs in the Landes region.