• From the end of 2023, a pilot installation of the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône will begin to produce 100% renewable and permanent energy in the Rhône delta.

  • Developed by Sweetch Energy, this osmotic energy technology uses the difference in salinity between fresh river water and sea water.

Green electricity corresponding to twice the annual consumption of the city of Marseille.

All produced in the Rhône delta, in the Camargue, by the meeting of salt water from the sea and fresh water from the river.

This is the bet made by the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, concessionaire for the production of hydroelectricity from the river, by 2030. From 2023, a first pilot site will be launched in the territory in partnership with Sweetch Energy, a start-up -up specialized in osmotic energy, the name, therefore, of this renewable energy.

"It's massively available energy on the planet and which is not exploited at all," explains Nicolas Heuzé, CEO and co-founder.

In all estuaries, all deltas, there is energy being released.

Each year, it represents the equivalent of 30,000 Terawatt-hours (TWh), when electricity consumption on a global scale today is 26,000 TWh.

To listen to him, osmotic energy has the advantage of being so permanent, unlike wind or solar power, for example.

“It's a very strong asset that pushes back the frontiers of renewable energy,” smiles Nicolas Heuzé.

A delta with high potential

That the exchanges of water operate, by a phenomenon of osmosis, an exchange of ions and produce,

in fine

, energy, the thing is not really new.

On the other hand, the start-up has developed a technology that makes it possible to envisage large-scale exploitation.

"Based on research work, we have succeeded in developing membranes through which water circulates that are twenty times more efficient and five to ten times less expensive than at present", assures Nicolas Heuzé.

The pilot plant thus aims to validate the technical elements of the system.

A first step before industrializing this energy, to take advantage of the potential of the 4 million megawatts of the Rhône delta.

The precise location on the mouth of the Rhône will be validated during the second quarter of 2022, it has not yet been disclosed.

"Obviously, we are also going to use the site of the plant to carry out environmental studies and check that we are not going to disturb an existing ecosystem", wants to reassure the CEO of Sweetch Energy, who underlines "that there is no release of chemicals or any inputs into the water".

“Small is beautiful”

For Jean-Luc Moya, administrator of France Nature Environnement in the Bouches-du-Rhône, the project is not advanced enough to form an opinion on it yet.

"We are in favor of all forms of renewable energy, the current crisis only confirms the need to develop alternative energies," he said.

Afterwards, this is analyzed on a case-by-case basis, there is no question of providing a blank check.

The Rhône delta is an exceptional biosphere reserve, a highly monitored wetland of national importance.

»

He expects, in particular, to know more about the sizing of the project.

Near

20 Minutes

, Sweetch Energy evokes a unit of "150 to 200 m², but which could be done on several levels, including the basement, to limit the footprint".

"For the area, the demonstrator will take the form of 2 or 3 containers in which the water circulation systems will be integrated through stacks of membranes, so we are on a small footprint", advances for his part, the Rhone national company.

"Small is beautiful", recalls Jean-Luc Moya as a slogan.

In terms of renewable energies, he continues, we can quickly move “from a logic of local energy production to an industrial logic”.

“The delta is more a place to be protected than exploited,” echoes another environmental defender, who is however waiting to learn more about this pilot osmotic energy site in the Camargue.

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