The  Urban Community board of Bordeaux recently voted to entrust the design, construction and operation of the heating and cooling system that serves the neighborhoods of the industrial area of ​​St Jean Belcier and Bègles-South Bordeaux to  Idex and Mixéner who joined forces for the occasion.

The network is unique in that 90% of the heat will be generated by the recovery of household waste from the nearby Astria factory  (Bègles). The rest (10%) will be provided by an auxiliary boiler and  natural gas. So 2016 will see 620 000 m2 of new buildings connected to the network, particularly in the St Jean Belcier industrial zone which includes offices, housing, shops, etc. In 2017, the network will be extended into Bègles  and South Bordeaux  to a further 50 buildings, Idex claims that the goal is to connect the equivalent of 18 000  units by 2023, heating 1.2 million m2 through 17 km of network with 145 substations and providing 55,000 MWh.

In addition to the heat network is a cooling network of 6.5 km and 23 substations which should be released to cool the buildings of the ZAC. Idex ensures it will be the first cooling network of France to be supplied 90% by renewable energy and recuperation (R & RES), while the remaining 10% will come from electricity. The connection of the buildings is expected to start in 2016 and the goal in 2023 is to have 200 000 m2 connected to the network.

Idex  and Mixéner claim that their network will offer a software solution for real-time control, both at the plant and to subscribers of the network itself. The solution will be able to, via fiber optics, meters and sensors, forecast and monitor energy consumption and demand.

The entire project is backed by ADEME and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).