The Bordeaux Administrative Court of Appeal, in its judgment of 13 April 2017, decided to overturn the judgment of the Administrative Court of Fort-de-France of 4 October 2017, which had annulled the authorisation to operate the Galion 2 bagasse/biomass plant.
All the objections raised by the Association for the Protection of the Heritage of Martinique against the project have been rejected. The plant's operation is therefore once again fully authorised.
Since early 2015, construction work on the plant has continued unabated and, as announced, commissioning of the plant is scheduled to take place in the fourth quarter of 2017.
The Galion 2 plant (installed capacity of 40 MW) will strengthen Martinique's electricity network and contribute to meeting the island's energy requirements.
About the Galion 2 plant
The Galion 2 plant (installed capacity of 40 MW), the first 100% biomass cogeneration plant in Martinique, will provide 15% of the island's total electricity consumption.
Based on a virtuous exchange with the Galion sugar refinery, the project aims to ensure the future of the refinery by making it more efficient.
Galion 2 is a project which has matured for 10 years with all the stakeholders, to increase Martinique's share of renewable energy by 7% to 22% and thereby favour the island's energy transition whilst respecting the most stringent environmental standards.
The Galion 2 plant, financed by private investment, will help to increase employment in Martinique. Currently, 350 people are working on the site's construction. Once the plant is in operation, it will create 34 direct jobs (including 32 in Martinique, in accordance with the Group's commitments to promote local employment) and will generate more than 200 indirect jobs.
Further information is available at: http://galion2.albioma.com/
About Albioma
Albioma is an independent energy producer and world leader in the conversion of biomass into a highly-effective source of energy, in collaboration with its agri-business partners. For more than 20 years, Albioma has operated power plants recovering bagasse, a fibrous by-product of sugar cane, replaced by coal outside the sugar cane harvest. Its unique expertise has enabled Albioma to establish itself as an indispensable partner in the sugar and ethanol industry in the French overseas territories and Mauritius. Albioma is now developing power plants using only biomass, which recover, in addition to bagasse, green waste and wood industry residue. The Group also operates a highly-efficient photovoltaic installation and agricultural anaerobic digestion units. In 2014, the Group, which already had a presence in mainland France, the French overseas territories and Mauritius, began operating in Brazil, the world's leading sugar cane producer.
For further information, please visit www.albioma.com
Investor contacts
Julien Gauthierjulien.gauthier@albioma.com
+33 (0)1 47 76 67 00
Media contacts - LPM Strategic Communications
Luc Perinet-Marquetlperinet@lpm-corporate.com
+33 (0)1 44 50 40 35
Albioma shares are listed on Euronext Paris (sub B) and eligible for the deferred settlement service (SRD) and PEA-PME plans.
ISIN FR0000060402 - Ticker: ABIO
