Charwood Energy and ENGIE Solutions partner on Châteaumeillant biomass project

Charwood Energy’s construction subsidiary Energy&+ has signed a new contract with ENGIE Solutions for the installation of a 250 kW wood-fired biomass boiler in Châteaumeillant (Centre-Val de Loire), to be commissioned by the end of 2025.
The project, undertaken in collaboration with the SDE 18 heating and cooling authority, will provide renewable heating and hot water to several public buildings, including a nursing home, a gendarmerie and a fire and rescue station (SDIS).
The Châteaumeillant initiative forms part of a broader framework agreement between Energy&+ and ENGIE Solutions aimed at industrialising a standardised range of prefabricated biomass boiler rooms.
The goal is to accelerate decarbonisation across sites operated by ENGIE Solutions through the deployment of modular, factory-built units.
It also supports the regional strategy led by SDE 18 (Syndicat Départemental d’Énergie du Cher), which has overseen the development of local heating and cooling networks since 2023.
Through its public heating authority, SDE 18 assists local authorities with the design, construction and operation of renewable heating systems.
The Châteaumeillant scheme is one of the first three projects identified under SDE 18’s Heating Network Master Plan and the first to move into implementation.
The new heating network will supply renewable heat to the nursing home, the gendarmerie and its seven residential units, and the SDIS fire station. The network will be powered by 90 per cent locally sourced wood energy, collected within a 60-kilometre radius. The 250 kW boiler room is expected to produce nearly 800 MWh of renewable heat per year, cutting around 137 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Energy&+ will design and deliver the project as a turnkey modular system, prefabricated at its workshops in Brittany using a two-hour fire-resistant concrete module.
The system will integrate a 250 kW Hargassner biomass boiler with full process equipment for piping, electricals and automation, alongside a wood storage silo, filling hopper and conveyor system.
The prefabricated modules can be installed in under 24 hours, significantly reducing on-site disruption and project lead times.
To ensure the facility blends with its surroundings, Energy&+ designed the structure with wood-effect stamped concrete, offering improved aesthetic integration into the local landscape.
As the rollout of renewable heating networks expands across suburban and rural areas, Energy&+ is positioning its modular boiler systems as a scalable solution to meet increasing logistical and environmental demands.
“This framework agreement with ENGIE Solutions structures our standardised and industrialised biomass boiler offering, designed to meet the challenges of decarbonisation, logistics, costs and deadlines in different regions,” said Adrien Haller, President of the Charwood Energy Group.
“It enables Energy&+ to secure recurring revenues while supporting the energy transition in different regions.”