Germany’s the WEPA Group and start-up Epyr have inaugurated France’s first thermal energy storage unit dedicated to the electrification of industrial heat at the WEPA site in Troyes, France.
The unit has been developed by Epyr and replaces a part of the gas demand at the French WEPA site by generating heat from low-carbon electricity, storing it in innovative thermal storage systems and releasing it as steam as required.
This reduces the dependence on fossil fuels whilst strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of the industrial site.
WEPA said the unit is the first in France to combine power-to-heat and thermal energy storage on an industrial scale, demonstrating that breakthrough technology can decarbonise industrial heat.
The thermal energy storage plant was designed, built and commissioned in less than six months without disrupting any industrial processes.
François Roposte, Mill Manager at the WEPA site in Troyes, said: “We are delighted to inaugurate France’s first unit that combines power-to-heat and thermal energy storage on an industrial scale.
“Electrifying a part of our steam production makes our production process more sustainable whilst also strengthening our competitiveness.”
