West Grid Synergy project (WGS project)
About this good practice
The WGS project focuses on 1) new technical solutions and infrastructures and 2) raising awareness, acceptability, involvement and support for local and regional actors of the gas networks of tomorrow.
Commissioning of 43km pilot-scale biogas backbone in Mauges region will ensure that green gas production meets consumption, connect 3 anaerobic digestion (AD) units, provide network solution for several energy-intensive industries, serve new natural gas municipalities and enable development of mobility specific to CNG/bio-GNV.
Deployment of digital technology on gas networks will enable all types of consumers to control their consumption, producers to better manage their installations, local authorities to better manage their action plans and network managers to be more efficient in managing and operating their networks.
This digital revolution is essential for raising awareness among the population and for involving users and territories in energy issues. Innovative predictive maintenance solutions will be tested to enable gas network infrastructures to provide better service at the lowest cost.
Flexibility throughout the value chain will be enabled by developing synergies between energy networks in particular with the electricity grid. It also involves development of new hybrid technologies that promote energy synergies for domestic and industrial consumers.
Resources needed
Gas backbone cost and connection to biomethane producers: €3.45 million
Investments led by the intermunicipal union SIEML, the local authority Mauges Communauté, the Pays de la Loire Region, the energy supplier SOREGIES and the company Lactalis.
Evidence of success
2 solutions are being implemented: a 43 km "biogas backbone" in Mauges region inaugurated in 2018. This infrastructure will make it possible to secure up to 120 GWh/year of biomethane injection potential on the territory, while meeting the expectations of gas-intensive industrial players. In Pouzauges and Pontivy territories, first 2 "gas reverse flows" installations in France deployed in 2019, enabling excess renewable energy to be transferred from distribution to transmission networks.
Potential for learning or transfer
WGS project aims to validate viability of new and proven solutions/technologies/services deployed to ensure their wider implementation. Gas networks (GNs) present in 3 experimental territories selected within WGS project are representative of gas systems present on national territory. They provide a global vision of the multi-stakeholder aspect of gas system, which will ensure a good potential for replication of results at national or European levels.
Modular nature of the various solutions makes it possible to guarantee ease of scale-up, allowing new functionalities of GNs to maintain their performance levels regardless of the size of infrastructures considered. Thus, after validation of experiments carried out, some 40 backflow stations should be deployed in France.
Systemic methodologies implemented in experimental territories to ensure territorial&societal integration of project and to measure its impacts on entire sector can be reused and reapplied to other territories in Europe
Further information
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Good practice owner
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Mauges Communauté