Voltalia begins commissioning of French Guiana biomass plant

Voltalia, an international player in renewable energy, has announced the start of commissioning at its 10.5-megawatt biomass power plant in Sinnamary, French Guiana.

The new facility complements Voltalia’s existing operational plants in Kourou (1.7 MW) and Cacao (5.1 MW), further expanding the company’s renewable energy presence in the region.

The first boiler ignitions, a key milestone in the commissioning process, took place in early April 2025, marking the beginning of technical testing.

Now in its final testing phase before full operation, the Sinnamary plant is the largest biomass power facility in French Guiana and will be capable of supplying up to eight per cent of the territory’s electricity demand.

Located on the Petit Saut site, the plant will produce more than 80 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, harnessing local biomass resources to support the diversification and decarbonisation of French Guiana’s energy mix.

With the commissioning of the Sinnamary facility, Voltalia will double its local generation capacity, representing around 16 per cent of the territory’s total electricity consumption.

Robert Klein, Chief Executive Officer of Voltalia, said: “The Sinnamary biomass power plant marks a turning point for French Guiana. It demonstrates that producing low-carbon, reliable and competitive energy locally, using resources from the territory, is possible. With this commissioning, Voltalia is directly contributing to French Guiana’s energy autonomy and the resilience of its power grid.”

The Sinnamary plant forms part of the wider Petit-Saut Sawmill and Energy Hub, led by Voltalia and its subsidiary Triton Timber.

With an investment exceeding €200 million, the project aims to make use of submerged wood from the Petit-Saut reservoir, transforming an underused resource into a sustainable industrial and energy opportunity.

The initiative includes the harvesting of submerged timber by Triton Guyane, the establishment of a sawmill producing around 9,000 cubic metres of construction wood per year to meet local demand, and the development and operation of the 10.5-megawatt biomass plant, which is fuelled by wood species unsuitable for sawmilling.