A biomass power plant in Gardanne, southern France, has officially resumed operations under a revised framework designed to address sustainability concerns and improve economic viability.
After being offline for over a year, the facility is now functioning with a scaled-back production schedule and a restructured biomass supply approach.
To meet updated environmental and financial targets, the plant will operate for a maximum of 4,000 hours per year, approximately half its previous capacity.
Annual biomass input has been limited to 450,000 tonnes, a move intended to ease pressure on local wood resources and stabilise supply costs.
Fuel sourcing has been adjusted to ensure a more balanced mix.
The plant will rely on sawmill by-products from the surrounding region, recycled wood and imported wood chips brought in through the port of Fos-sur-Mer.
This strategy aims to reduce dependency on regional forests by using only a small fraction of the technically and economically accessible wood in the area.
A public inquiry is currently underway across hundreds of municipalities to evaluate the environmental impact of the plant’s updated biomass plan.
The review focuses on forest health, carbon emissions, and the long-term sustainability of biomass sourcing.
The restart is expected to generate over 90 direct jobs and several hundred indirect roles in forestry, logistics and transport.
The Gardanne facility is again contributing to France’s renewable energy landscape, now operating under tighter controls.
Gardanne biomass plant restarts with new supply strategy
