Ségolène ROYAL, Minister of Environment, and Emmanuel MACRON, Minister of Economy, have announced the results of the call for projects for the large-scale deployment of Smart Grids*, launched on April 15, 2015, as part of the “Sustainable City” solution of the New Industrial France.
After analyzing the applications by a panel of independent experts, the following results were selected:
– The FLEXGRID application, submitted by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Council,
– The SMILE application, submitted by the Brittany Regional Council, in association with Pays-de-la-Loire,
– The YOU & GRID application, submitted by the European metropolis of Lille, in association with Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
This deployment will feed into the strategy of the French smart grid sector, structured within the “Think Smartgrids” association created as part of the New Industrial France, thus enhancing its dynamism, in service of the energy transition and the creation of green jobs.
“This success illustrates our capacity to continuously innovate and reinforces my determination to make Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur the first Smart region in Europe,” states Christian Estrosi, President of the PACA Region.
Thanks to this designation, and the 150 million euros of public and private investments in favor of the Flexgrid application projects, the PACA region will also benefit from priority access to the 50 million dedicated within the framework of major future investments and 40 million euros of investments brought by network managers, RTE and ERDF.
The development of Smart Grids in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur involves significant economic, social, and environmental stakes. It constitutes a tremendous opportunity for job creation in our region.
With a global Smart Grid market estimated at 30 Billion euros per year, FlexGrid will contribute to the economic influence of the regional territory, the security of electricity supply in the East of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and the fight against climate change.
