Conversion of the Saint-Avold thermal power station: time is running out for employees

In this petition consulted by the AFP, which has already obtained more than a thousand signatures, the CFDT union of the plant called for "a rapid and favorable response from the State to convert the plant", without which it will have to close its doors "next April", the end date of the employment contract for the employees of the plant.

A major emitter of CO2, it was already due to close its doors in March 2022, but between the war in Ukraine and the setbacks of the nuclear fleet, it has returned to service and is playing a role in securing supplies in winter.

Nevertheless, the 150 or so employees of the plant regret that "the State does not deign to consider its future".

Its owner, GazelEnergie, is nevertheless "ready to invest 100 million euros to perpetuate the site, through the conversion of unit 6 to biogas", recalls the text, which also states the support of "all (the) regional political representatives" in favour of a conversion.

This would make it possible to "extend the lifespan of the Emile-Huchet power station by decarbonizing its electricity production".

In September 2023, President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron announced the conversion of the country's last two coal-fired power stations, in Saint-Avold and Cordemais (Loire-Atlantique), by 2027.

The biogas conversion project is "advancing technically," Thomas About, CFDT delegate at the plant, told AFP. "We are always going further in the technical proposals" and boilermakers and equipment manufacturers are being asked to study this feasibility.

Such a conversion would be "a first in Europe, but not in the world", the United States having already done so, according to Thomas About.

In Cordemais, EDF, of which the French State is the sole shareholder, announced at the end of September the abandonment of the Ecocombust project aimed at converting the plant to biomass, which will therefore cease producing electricity by 2027.

Internally at Emile-Huchet, the union has also entered into negotiations to extend the duration of employees' employment contracts.

"The future of the Saint-Avold coal-fired power station has been monitored for several years by government departments, and several conversion projects have been proposed to replace the current power station," said the office of the Minister for Industry and Energy, Marc Ferracci, in response.

"The project proposed by Gazel was updated today in order to improve its economic model; it is currently being analyzed in order to respond as quickly as possible to the concerns of employees and local elected officials," the ministry continued.