The site, installed in close cooperation with industrial decarbonisation operator PerPetum Energy, will enable INEOS Inovyn to cut its CO2 emissions by 14,000 tonnes per year.
SPIE Belgium, a subsidiary of the SPIE Group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has contributed to the commissioning of the largest solar farm in Wallonia, inaugurated today. This site, ordered by INEOS Inovyn, the leading European vinyl producer, has 90,000 solar panels spread over an area of 30 hectares, the equivalent of 56 football pitches. The energy produced will cover 10% of the electricity needs of the production site located in Jemeppe-sur-Sambre and will enable this manufacturer, which specialises in the production of PVC, to cut CO2 emissions by 14,000 tonnes per year.
This is an important milestone for industrial decarbonization, which was achieved on 4 September in Jemeppe-sur-Sambre with the commissioning of the largest solar farm in Wallonia, the official inauguration of which took place today at the "Hélios" site, after a year of installation work.
This project required a great deal of technical expertise, especially for the high voltage work. SPIE Belgium has been entrusted with the entire part or the project related to the transformation of the energy produced by the solar panels and its transport to the INEOS plant.
Recovering energy, one of the keys to a sustainable transition
Thanks to SPIE's contribution, it will be possible to recover the energy produced by the solar panels (at a voltage of 22,000 V), to transform it into 70,000 V energy and to transport it from the solar parc to the plant situated almost 2 km away. The electricity will then be used by INEOS Inovyn to provide its customers with products with a reduced carbon footprint. This approach, supported by PerPetum Energy and SPIE Belgium, is part of the leading European vinyl producer's ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Luc Leenknegt, CEO and founder of Perpetum Energy: ‘We are proud to contribute to INEOS Inovyn's environmental goals. This project is fully in line with PerPetum Energy's mission: to help industrial companies and large consumers to reduce the carbon footprint of their consumption as much as possible, by offering them, as a third-party investor, an optimised mix of multi-technology solutions such as photovoltaics, wind power, energy storage, etc.’.
Alongside the installation of the 90,000 solar panels on the 30-hectare site by PerPetum Energy, contributing to the decarbonisation of INEOS Inovyn's activities, SPIE has been appointed for the design, studies, purchase of equipment, installation and commissioning of the part of the project related to the transformation, distribution and transport of the energy produced. High voltage experts from SPIE Belgium joined the Industry Division teams on site to provide the required technical excellence.
Ulric Bauwens, Department Manager for SPIE Belgium's Industry Division explains: "Helping large companies put their environmental commitments into practice is a mission to which we are firmly committed at SPIE. This important solar energy project will enable INEOS Inovyn to access to competitive local renewable energy, equivalent of the energy expenditure of about 16,000 Belgian households per year. We are extremely proud to contribute to this great step forward for Belgian industry, working in collaboration with PerPetum Energy".
