EDF ends Ecocombust project after industrial partner pulls out and feedstock prices skyrocket

In France, EDF has decided to put an end to Ecocombust, a project to develop a fuel from waste’ (class B) wood as an alternative to coal. The conditions to continue the project are effectively not met.
Two main reasons led to this decision: the cost of the project, which would not make it possible to guarantee an attractive price for the final product, and the recent withdrawal of EDF’s industrial partner.

EDF initiated the Ecocombust project in 2015. Since the end of 2018, the project consisted of both adapting the Cordemais (Loire-Atlantique) power plant to use this alternative fuel and producing pellets on site by building a dedicated production plant there.

EDF successfully carried out the technical and environmental feasibility studies. The very innovative nature and the lack of feedback on this type of product as well as the recent surge in raw material prices impacted the project’s cost.

In addition, the partner, with which EDF had opened discussions concerning the treatment of effluents from the pellet production plant, decided to withdraw from the project. As this withdrawal delayed the industrial commissioning date to 2024, the Cordemais power plant would not have been able to generate electricity using an alternative fuel to coal over the 2022/2024 period.

EDF therefore decided to put an end to Ecocombust, despite the remarkable commitment of the teams working on the project and the support of local stakeholders.