Seine-Nord Europe Canal: a €662 million contract awarded for new works in the Oise region

This contract was awarded to a group comprising Spie batignolles valérian, NGE and Besix, three major players in the construction industry, confirming the acceleration of operations on the ground.

A strategic 18,6 km construction project between Compiègne and Passel

The works concern an 18,6 km section, located between Compiègne and Passel.
They understand :

• the construction of two reaches (sections of canal between two locks)
• the construction of seven road bridges
• the construction of several hydraulic structures

According to SCSNE, these operations constitute a key step in structuring the future canal.

Up to 400 people mobilized on the construction site

The start of the work is planned before the end of the year, for an estimated duration of nearly four years.

At its peak, the construction site will mobilize up to 400 people, illustrating the operational scale of this project in the Hauts-de-France region.

A major 107km infrastructure project is expected by 2032.

The Seine-Nord Europe Canal is one of the largest river infrastructure projects in Europe.

• Length: 107 km
• width: 54 m
• Target commissioning date: 2032

Its objective: to connect the Seine to the Scheldt in order to create a structuring river link between the Paris basin and the ports of the Benelux.

A lever for river transport and the ecological transition

The SCSNE highlights a structuring impact on the transport of goods.

The canal must allow:

• to increase river traffic in the Hauts-de-France region
• to promote a modal shift from road to river transport
• to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of transport

Investments are accelerating

This €662 million contract is part of a dynamic of successive awards.

At the end of February, SCSNE had already awarded a contract worth 440 million euros for the construction of a canal bridge over the Somme valley to a group led by a subsidiary of Bouygues.

The Court of Auditors highlighted a cost overrun.

The project remains under scrutiny, however. In early April, the Court of Auditors warned of a "significant cost overrun."

According to the latest estimates, the canal's budget now stands at 7,3 billion euros at current prices, almost double the initial forecasts.

A controversial project despite its ambitions

This increase in costs is fueling criticism from opponents, who denounce:

• the environmental impact of the project
• and the uncertainties surrounding a massive shift from road to river transport