Industrial decarbonisation: a geothermal solution from Actemium
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Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions is developing surface geothermal solutions to heat, cool and power industrial buildings and processes. These solutions consume fewer resources and are more cost-effective than those using fossil energies.
In the face of energy and environmental challenges, Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions. the VINCI Energies business unit specialised in industrial pipework and thermal energy, decided to invest in surface geothermal solutions, also known as very-low-energy geothermal. This technology is compatible with the specific needs of many customers and can meet heating, cooling, and even heat or cold production needs for industrial processes, with greater cost-efficiency than fossil solutions.
“Surface geothermal taps into the water table or uses a vertical thermal probe (VTP),” explains Boutaina Elamri, Project Manager at Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions. “It’s best suited to our customers with moderate power needs – it can heat or cool buildings, and also produce heat or cold for industrial processes. It can even produce heat and cold at the same time using reversible heat pumps. Energy is extracted at temperatures of 10 to 15 °C and fed into heat pumps, the development and operation of which are our core business.”
Eric Rebischung, Business Unit Manager at Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions, adds: “This type of geothermal solution is not only more cost-efficient, it is also less affected than deep geothermal by the administrative and legal constraints linked to mining regulations.”
Custom performance
Surface geothermal permits a high degree of flexibility in its use. On one of its current projects, Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions is working methodically in four stages. First, a pre-feasibility study with the aim of assessing local geothermal potential in line with the project’s energy needs. “This phase includes the creation of a subsidy request package (for Le Fonds Chaleur), mostly managed by Actemium Décarbonation Nord & Est,” says Boutaina El Amri. A detailed feasibility study follows, then the technical design of the geothermal system (borehole dimensions, heat pumps, distribution networks, etc.).
“Surface geothermal is best suited to our customers with moderate power needs.”
Next comes the execution phase, with the boreholes sunk by a specialist partner and the equipment installed, all coordinated by Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions along with the testing and commissioning. Last of all comes the maintenance phase: the business unit generally provides special training for the maintenance teams, and energy performance monitoring to ensure the longevity and efficiency of its installations.
“Given the long life cycle for this type of project, we really have to educate customers to encourage them to take the plunge,” says Eric Rebischung, who remains convinced that surface geothermal, a reliable, effective and ecologically responsible solution, is an excellent way of supporting customers in their energy transition.
A hybrid solution for an industrial customer
Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions is currently managing two groundwater geothermal projects, one of which will serve an industrial building and offices for a lock manufacturer. “This customer’s initial goal was to replace its two gas boilers and an oil-fired boiler with a 400 kW water-to-water heat pump supplied by groundwater from between 150 and 200 metres underground,” explains Arnaud Simon, Project Manager at Actemium Epinal Fluides Solutions. “But since that solution proved too costly for them, we opted for a hybrid solution with a 160 kW reversible water-to-water heat pump with one of the existing gas boilers as backup.”
The new system not only cools the premises in summer, it is also expected to reduce the site’s CO2 emissions to 47 tonnes a year (down from the current 84 tonnes), principally due to a significant reduction in gas consumption.
11/14/2025
