Total, through its affiliate Total Quadran, one of the leading renewables players in France, announces the commissioning of the solarization project at L’Oréal’s Vichy production plant. The project consists of photovoltaic parking lot awnings and charge points for electric vehicles. 

The renewable electricity produced will cover 33% of the plant’s energy needs, from almost 4,000 solar panels across a surface area of 9,500 m• with total power of 1.5 MWp (Megawatts peak). 

Total will also conduct an R&D project on this site, with the aim of analyzing the performance of the bifacial photovoltaic modules on the awnings. 

“We are proud to accompany innovative industrial players like L’Oréal in their energy transition, by solarizing their production sites both in France and abroad,” stated Thierry Muller, General Manager of Total Quadran. “With our range of green electricity solutions, from site solarization to major green power purchasing agreements, we want to be a partner of choice for businesses as they reduce their carbon footprints.” 

“We have been committed to the protection of the environment since we set the plant up fifty years ago, and we are delighted to pursue our L’Oréal for the Future drive alongside Total Quadran, in line with our sustainable development commitments. The opening of this photovoltaic power plant will allow the Vichy plant, which has been carbon neutral since 2018, to meet over 30% of its electricity needs locally,” announced Jean-Yves Larraufie, Director of Cosmétique Active Production (CAP) L’Oréal. 

Total, renewables and electricity 

As part of its ambition to get to net zero by 2050, Total is building a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity that should account for up to 40 % of its sales by 2050. At the end of 2020, Total’s gross power generation capacity worldwide was around 12 GW, including 7 GW of renewable energy. Total will continue to expand this business to reach 100 GW of gross production capacity from renewable sources by 2030 with the objective of being among the world’s top 5 in renewable energies.