The Villaroche, France site of Safran Aircraft Engines

Aircraft engine design and manufacturing company Safran Aircraft Engines (Safran) has contracted Dalkia and Arverne Drilling Services to design, build, and maintain a geothermal plant at its production center in Villaroche in the Seine-et-Marne department in France.

The planned facility will combine deep geothermal energy, heat pumps, and modernized heating networks to replace 84% of the energy needs currently supplied by gas boilers with low-carbon, local, and renewable energy. This project will also make Safran the first industrial player in the Paris region to install a deep geothermal plant.

“Through this partnership, Dalkia is demonstrating that solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in industry do exist, and that geothermal energy is one of them. I salute the commitment of Safran Aircraft Engines which, through this ambitious and innovative project, will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its site while strengthening its energy independence. It’s an example that I’m convinced will be followed, especially since the potential is great in the Paris region,” said Sylvie Jéhanno, Chairman and CEO of Dalkia.

Wells are planned to be drilled to a depth of 1650 meters, targeting the Dogger Formation where temperatures of around 75 °C are expected. Drilling is expected to be carried out in 2025, and commissioning of the geothermal facility is targeted by late 2026. Upon operations, the heating plant will reduce carbon emissions associated with the site by 75%, equivalent to 6,500 tonnes of CO2 per year.

This pioneering project between Safran and the Dalkia-Arverne Drilling Services consortium is proof that industry can be both efficient and environmentally friendly and opens the way to new prospects for the decarbonization of industrial activities. A similar project is being undertaken by German aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines at its Munich site, where the drilling of a geothermal doublet was completed last year.

“This project bringing together leading French industrial players demonstrates the expertise of our companies and their shared commitment to decarbonizing industry through geothermal energy,” added Pierre Brossollet, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Arverne Group, parent company of Arverne Drilling Services.

“We are proud that Safran Aircraft Engines has chosen our expertise to equip itself with a geothermal plant, which will provide renewable, local energy, enabling it to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. We are convinced that subsoil resources, and geothermal energy in particular, are essential levers for making a success of the energy transition and meeting the challenges of decarbonizing industry.”