The Moulon de Blé solar power plant, inaugurated by EDF Renewables, has an 11.4 MWp capacity. Situated on a reclaimed colluvium extraction quarry, it transforms an industrial area into a renewable energy source.
Consisting of roughly 21,330 photovoltaic panels across 9 hectares, this power plant will generate electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 7,400 individuals.
The Eyguières community strongly backed this project to advance renewable energy. Securing its building permit in 2016, it emerged as the victor in an Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) tender in March 2017, ensuring a 20-year tariff-protected electricity purchase agreement.
Since the project’s inception, consultations encompassed the local terrain, including the Alpilles Regional Natural Park, to assess landscape and biodiversity concerns. The construction timetable was adjusted to minimize impact on local flora and fauna. The initiative includes habitat creation for reptiles and amphibians, and upcoming autumn plans involve revegetating the park’s adjacent embankment to enhance its integration with the landscape. Environmental monitoring, initiated from project commencement, will persist throughout the park’s 30-year operational period.
Residents of Bouches-du-Rhône and nearby areas (Var, Vaucluse, Gard) actively engaged in this project via a successful crowdfunding campaign on the WISEED platform in the summer of 2022. A total of 77 private investors contributed 141,500 euros to the campaign.
Presently, EDF Renewables manages 14 solar power plants in the South Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region and a 25 MW floating offshore wind pilot project set to be situated off the coast of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône (Bouches-du-Rhône). This collective capacity amounts to approximately 124 MW. Consequently, the Moulon de Blé photovoltaic power plant plays a crucial role in supporting the region’s energy transition goals and France’s carbon neutrality target for 2050.
Speaking about this project, Sofiane BOUKEBBOUS, Director of the South-East and Overseas zone of EDF Renewables, said, “With the Moulon de Blé photovoltaic plant, the town of Eyguières, with around 6,800 inhabitants, will produce more electricity than ‘she doesn’t consume any. The plant thus contributes to the region’s energy transition, necessary to meet the challenges of the fight against climate change. With this project, we have also developed land with an industrial past, in this case a quarry.”
