TotalEnergies commissions second-largest biogas plant in Normandy
TotalEnergies has announced the commissioning of BioNorrois, its second-largest biomethane production unit in France, located in Fontaine-le-Dun, Normandy. This facility is expected to inject 153 gigawatt-hour (GWh) of biomethane per year into the natural gas network, equivalent to the average annual gas consumption of more than 30,000 people.
The project is developed in partnership with Cristal Union, one of Europe’s leading sugar producers, which will provide up to 80% of the agricultural feedstock—mainly beet pulp and residues from its adjacent sugar production site.
In addition to producing renewable biomethane, BioNorrois will generate 150,000 tonnes of digestate annually, a natural fertiliser that will be distributed among partner farms in collaboration with the Norman agricultural cooperative NatUp. This initiative will reduce the region’s dependence on chemical fertilisers, saving an estimated 5,500 tonnes per year, while also cutting CO₂ emissions by 30,000 tonnes annually.
Expanding France’s biomethane capacity
With BioNorrois now operational, TotalEnergies strengthens its position as a leading player in France’s renewable gas market, bringing its total biomethane production capacity to over 800 GWh. The company is actively expanding its biogas portfolio across Europe and the United States, aiming to achieve a gross capacity of 10 terawatt-hour (TWh) per year by 2030—equivalent to supplying 1.6 million people with renewable energy while preventing 1.6 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
“With this new plant, which brings our biogas production capacity in the country to more than 800 GWh, TotalEnergies confirms its position as a major player in the market,” said Karine Boissy-Rousseau, VP Green Gases at TotalEnergies. “With this new biogas project, TotalEnergies continues to contribute to the promotion of a circular economy with multiple local benefits, the production of renewable energies, and the decarbonisation of the French energy mix.”
Cristal Union’s General Manager, Xavier Astolfi, highlighted the strategic value of the partnership. “Unlike many industries, we have an asset: the ability to valorise the residues of our production, beet pulp, and industrial effluents, and reuse them to produce energy through anaerobic digestion or combustion. This partnership with TotalEnergies is a full-scale project for the treatment of pulp. Beyond the production of biogas from our production residues, it will allow us to provide our partner farmers with digestate to spread on their fields.”
By integrating agricultural waste into renewable gas production, TotalEnergies and Cristal Union aim to enhance France’s energy security, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and create a sustainable model for future biomethane development.
