TotalEnergies And Holcim Launch Europe’s Largest Floating Solar Plant For Industrial Self-Consumption In Belgium

TotalEnergies and Holcim, a leading company in sustainable construction, have officially inaugurated a floating solar power plant in Belgium. The plant, located in Obourg on a former chalk quarry site that has been transformed into a lake, has a total capacity of 31 MW.

The solar installation is expected to generate approximately 30 GWh of renewable electricity per year, which will be directly consumed by Holcim’s industrial facilities. This makes it the largest floating solar power plant in Europe dedicated to self-consumption. To ensure minimal visual impact and integrate the project into the surrounding landscape, over 700 meters of horizontal directional drilling were performed to connect the solar panels to the electrical substation.

Olivier Greiner, Managing Director Retail Power & Gas Belgium at TotalEnergies, commented on the project, saying, “We are delighted to inaugurate this floating solar power plant, which demonstrates our teams’ ability to innovate and provide tailored solutions to meet the needs of our partner Holcim. We support them, along with other industrial customers, in their efforts to decarbonize operations and transition toward more sustainable energy solutions.”

This project reflects both companies’ commitment to sustainability and innovation, combining renewable energy generation with industrial decarbonization efforts, and highlighting the potential of floating solar technology in Europe.