LIS by Lesaffre, a drying specialist and subsidiary of Lesaffre, partnered with Idex, a specialist in energy and environmental services, to control steam production costs and reduce the site’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Idex is responsible for the entire supply of carbon-free steam and guarantees a local supply of biomass from its agency in Granville.  The Idex Group will design, build, invest in and operate/maintain the steam plant for 15 years, Lesaffre announced.

The new wood/gas boiler plant will produce over 110,000 tons of steam per year. The wood requirements, which are estimated at nearly five 90 m3 semi-trailers per day, will be met mainly by forestry chips and supplemented, up to 30%, by end-of-life packaging wood.

To meet the plant’s steam requirements, which average around 13 t/h, Idex will install a biomass boiler. As the plant’s process does not tolerate any faults or interruptions in supply, Idex has designed a boiler room that also includes two gas boilers to back up the biomass boiler. The overall installed capacity of the boiler room will therefore be 37 t/h.  The new boiler will be operational in September 2023.

François Cachot, LIS general manager commented: “In its ambitious approach to decarbonizing its drying activities, LIS France is very pleased to see this important renewable energy project become concrete. We believe that reducing our exposure to fossil fuels and drastically reducing the CO2 emissions that accompany them is crucial to the sustainability of our drying activities. We are particularly excited to start this long-term partnership with IDEX, who will be able to provide us with their know-how and expertise.”

Benjamin Fremaux, President of Idex, added: “We are particularly proud to support an industrial company like LIS in its energy transition. When French companies set an example by choosing alternative and efficient energies, the effects are positive in the long term and for all of us.”