French Cities to Expand Geothermal District Heating Network

Announced this month, the French municipalities of Melun and Vaux-le-Pénil, in Seine-et-Marne (the wider Paris region), are joining forces to strengthen their commitment to the energy transition. Supported by Dalkia, the two cities are launching the expansion of their heating network and the drilling of a new geothermal well in 2026, supplemented by a heat pump system.

Melun, France

The network is planned to be fuelled by nearly 80% renewable and inexhaustible energy. The city of Melun is thus continuing its commitment, having already set an example in 1969 by choosing geothermal energy for the first time to feed its heating network.

The network will expand this year in both cities and will pass under the Seine to extend south of Melun. It will extend for an additional 17 km, or more than 43 km of pipeline, and will include 115 new substations. It will provide 68 GWh of additional heat and cover the heating and domestic hot water needs of 18,500 equivalent homes.

“The city of Melun’s investment in geothermal energy is historic and is about to reach a new milestone. In a context of rising energy costs and global warming, this choice appears more relevant than ever for the future. This choice allows Melun residents to benefit from real energy savings, since for a “typical” home, geothermal energy represents a heating cost of approximately 30% compared to a collective gas heating solution.”, so Kadir Mebarek, mayor of Melun

These new connections and installations will save 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. This figure is in addition to the 16,000 tonnes of CO2 already saved annually thanks to the existing district heating network, for a total of 28,000 tonnes of CO2 saved annually.

“In the context of the upgrading of the heating networks in the city of Vauxle-Pénil, supported by ADEME, we are pleased that this partnership can provide a new opportunity for our energy transition policy. The expansion of our shared network is a future challenge for renewable energies. This will require a dynamic policy that will need to be integrated into our housing obligations. We welcome the significant administrative, legal, and technical work that has enabled us to implement this joint public service delegation project.”, so Henry of Meyrignac, mayor of Vaux-le-Pénil.

This new contract signed with Dalkia marks a key step in the sustainable development of the region and represents a major step forward in the energy transition of Melun and Vaux-le-Pénil.

The drilling, development and modernization work on the new network represents a total investment of nearly EUR 75 million.