Summary sheet
The project concerns the expansion and modernisation of the district heating service of the Grenoble-Alpes Métropole, a region located in eastern France, in the Isère department.
The project will support a 5-year investment programme to further develop the Grenoble District Heating (DH) network, the second biggest in France. The loan will finance investments in heat generation upgrades aiming at increasing efficiency and penetration of renewable sources and also distribution network developments.
District heating projects typically fall under Annex II of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive, leaving it to the national competent authority to determine whether an environmental impact assessment is required according to criteria defined in Annex III of the Directive. The district heating works are planned on the existing systems, which have been initially screened out based on their technical characteristics and criteria defined in the national regulation. During appraisal, the EIB will assess the environmental and social risks of the project and alignment with applicable EU environmental policy and regulation, including Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU. This includes review of environmental permitting screening decisions and related environmental management plans. The Project is not expected to have any significant impact on sites of nature conservation. The expected main negative impacts of the Project schemes are related to construction works. These impacts are temporary in nature and can be appropriately mitigated applying proper industrial working practices. Overall, the project is expected to have a positive impact on the environment. It will use efficiently generated heat from cogeneration plants and will reduce heat losses from the networks. In this way it will ensure the supply of reliable and efficient heating to consumers while reducing air pollution emissions including greenhouse gases.
The EIB will require the promoter to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project will be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation Directive 2014/23/EU, 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU where applicable, as well as Directive 92/13/EEC or Directive 89/665/EEC as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal, as and where required.