The bulk storage facility, situated in Druye, a town of about 1,000 inhabitants, will store propane that will be reloaded for delivery to Primagaz customers in the broader Touraine region. Its meticulous eco-design is the result of careful and collaborative planning and aims to preserve the area’s natural biodiversity while enabling the facility to fully adapt to its natural ecosystem.
Only 10% of the site’s total surface area is artificial. The artificialisation of soils is the main cause for biodiversity loss and contributes to the destruction of natural environments. To adapt the facility to the topography of the site, only 38% of its total area is fenced, enabling the free movement of wildlife and allowing larger mammals to drink from the natural basin.
“This Primagaz bulk relay in Druye demonstrates that Primagaz France plays a leading role in the energy transition in this region and that we’re able to adopt a sustainable approach to eco-design,” said Glaura Kartalian, President of Primagaz France. “This is an important step forward for the energy industry and will be a reference for all future Primagaz industrial facilities,” she said.
The site’s design is thought to be unprecedented in the industrial sector in France, both for its ambitious eco-design as well as its size. The facility covers an area of 100,000 square meters and has a propane storage capacity of 400 cubic meters.
The site respects the natural cycles of fauna and flora, including many of the area’s protected species, such as the spotted pelodyte, the wall lizard and the stone curlew. To facilitate the movement of amphibians, a toad canal was created, and new grassy and humid areas were also developed to expand the living space for all wildlife.
“The Druye site is a great example of our mission in practice: providing accessible, lower carbon energy options to those who need it, while also having a positive impact on society and the environment,” said Bram Gräber, CEO of SHV Energy. “Achieving our targets around CO2 reduction and energy transition requires a coordinated global approach that is championed across all our local organisations. This site illustrates how important that is.”
The Primagaz facility was developed with the collaboration of multiple parties, including local and regional government representatives, to ensure it considered the needs of neighbouring residential areas. It replaces a facility previously located in Saint-Pierredes-Corps.
