Voltalia: Laying the first stone of the Cacao biomass power plant (5.1 MW) in French Guiana

Laying the first stone of the Cacao biomass power plant (5.1 MW) in French Guiana
 

Voltalia (Euronext Paris, ISIN code: FR0011995588), an international player in renewable energies, announces that the first stone of the Cacao biomass power plant (5.1 MW) in French Guiana was laid by Mr. Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of State, attached to the Ministre d'État, Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition

Laying the first stone

On Friday, the site of Voltalia's Cacao biomass power plant, located in the Roura area, welcomed a delegation headed by Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of State, attached to the Ministre d'État, Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition.

On this occasion, Mr. Lecornu laid the first stone of the plant, as this project comes to the forefront of a wider ambition to consolidate the wood-energy industry, which plays a significant role in the economic development of the region.

This event was also the occasion to confirm the involvement of the French CDC (Caisse des Dépôts et des Consignations) as a minority investor in the project. The Cacao project marks another milestone in a relationship established since 2008, when the CDC acquired 20% of Voltalia's Guiana subsidiary.

Voltalia boasts a leading position in biomass in French Guiana, having built a first plant as early as 2009 and developed strong and durable ties with local suppliers in the wood sector. This strong positioning is fully in line with the Group's strategy to leverage the best available resources in all regions where it operates.

The project

Scheduled for commisioning in 2020, the Cacao power plant will produce electricity from the combustion of wood waste locally sourced from forestry operations and neighboring sawmills. Its production will cover the consumption of approximately 16,000 people and come as a substition to conventional diesel installations. It has therefore a very positive carbon footprint: 28.500 tons of CO2eq avoided each year. The project will also contribute to the creation of up to 105 direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase and enable to consolidate the activity of local suppliers in the forestry and agricultural sector, while creating 40 jobs.

The design, construction and operation-maintenance of the plant are fully managed in-house by Voltalia.
 

Next on the agenda: H1 2018 results on September 26 2018

About Voltalia (www.voltalia.com)

- Voltalia is an international player in the renewable energy sector. The Company produces and sells electricity generated from wind, solar, hydro and biomass power plants; it owns a total installed capacity of 524 MW.

- Voltalia is also a service provider, assisting its investor clients active in renewables at each project stages, from conception to operation and maintenance.

- With more than 460 employees in 18 countries, over 4 continents. Voltalia is able to act worldwide on behalf of its clients.

- Voltalia has been listed on the Euronext regulated market in Paris since July 2014 (FR0011995588 - VLTSA) and is a component stock of the Enternext Tech 40 index and the CAC Mid&Small index.