Paris and French state sign territorial contract for renewable heat • Agglomeration plans to advance geothermal DH • Créteil adopts ambitious plan for DH network expansion • Read more about the developments in sustainable heating and cooling in this month's news update from France
On 17 September 2025, the French State and the City of Paris formalised their joint commitment to expanding renewable heat infrastructure through the signing of a Territorial Renewable Heat Contract (CCRt) in Île-de-France. The agreement, supported by ADEME under the national Heat Fund programme, aims to accelerate the deployment of renewable and recovered heat production systems across the capital.
The contract sets out plans for the development of 30 new installations over the next four years, with a combined annual output of more than 7 500 MWh. These installations will include surface geothermal systems, solar thermal units, biomass facilities, and technologies that recover waste heat from sources such as wastewater and data centres. The initiative is backed by 3 million EUR in public funding, including 2.74 million EUR for infrastructure development and 225 000 EUR for project coordination and support.
This marks a significant milestone for Paris, a densely populated urban area where the Climate Plan targets 100 percent locally sourced renewable energy by 2050. The CCRt is designed to complement the city’s existing large-scale district heating network and to enhance its capacity through decentralised, low-carbon sources. By leveraging geothermal energy, solar thermal systems, and waste heat recovery, the city aims to strengthen its energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more in article from île-de-France
In the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines agglomeration, several municipalities are working to expand district heating networks using geothermal energy. While Montigny-le-Bretonneux has already implemented geothermal heating on a small scale at the Mini-Montains municipal nursery, there is now a joint effort to develop a much larger intercommunal district heating network; Montigny, Guyancourt, and Voisins-le-Bretonneux are collaborating on feasibility studies for a shared geothermal district heating system that would serve all three municipalities. These studies, coordinated by the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines agglomeration, will assess the technical and economic viability of a network powered mainly by renewable and recovered energy, including waste heat.
Previous studies in Montigny and Guyancourt will inform the new analysis, and, additionally, an energy needs assessment for Voisins is also planned. The cost of the joint feasibility study is estimated at 20,000 EUR excluding tax, with the agglomeration funding half and the remainder divided among the three towns based on prior investments. A subsidy application will be submitted to ADEME to support the project. If the results that are expected in September are favourable, the municipalities will proceed to develop several implementation scenarios. The intercommunal approach is considered essential for deploying a deep geothermal network at this scale, as a single municipality would face significant challenges in delivering such a project independently.
Other towns in the agglomeration, including Les Clayes-sous-Bois, Villepreux, and Plaisir, are also pursuing district heating initiatives. In Plaisir, the Resop district heating network, operated by Dalkia, now exceeds 10 kilometres in length and supplies heat to more than 8,000 homes. Ongoing works are extending the network further, particularly around the Plaisir-Grignon station and the Valibout district, with plans to connect additional public and residential buildings and to expand into the eastern part of the town by 2026.
The expansion of district heating networks in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines agglomeration is designed to maximise the use of local renewable resources and provide stable, cost-effective energy to residents.
Read more in article from La Gazette
The City of Créteil has adopted a new master plan to further develop and optimise its district heating network, aiming to enhance performance and reliability for users. Since its establishment in 1970, the district heating system has steadily expanded and now ranks as the sixth largest in France. Managed by the Société de chauffage urbain de Créteil, part of the Dalkia group, the network currently supplies heat to 40 582 housing equivalents, serving more than 60 000 users. The system provides heating to a wide range of public and private facilities, including local schools, the University of Paris-Est Créteil, companies such as Essilor and Valeo, the Henri Mondor University Hospital, and more recently the intercommunal hospital of Créteil.
The updated master plan sets out several key measures to secure and expand the network. A new geothermal well will be commissioned to guarantee supply, and major extensions are planned that will allow up to 10 800 additional housing equivalents to be connected, representing a 25 percent increase in capacity. The plan also aims to maintain the share of renewable and recovered energy at 83 percent, a target expected to be reached by 2026, all while keeping heat tariffs stable for subscribers.
The district heating network in Créteil distributes hot water through around 50 kilometres of underground pipes. Heat is produced by ten gas-fired boiler plants, a cogeneration plant, energy recovered from the Valo’Marne waste incineration facility, and an existing geothermal well located on rue des Refugniks. As this well, built in 1985, nears the end of its operational life, the new master plan includes its replacement, with the Albert Schweitzer sports complex selected as the site for drilling. After completion, the site will return to its original use. The investment for the new geothermal well is estimated at 15 million EUR, funded by the municipality, and it is scheduled to enter service in 2028. Additionally, the network is expected to connect to waste heat from the Goodman data centre in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges by 2029.
The plan also includes four major network extensions between 2026 and 2032, targeting the Bleuets, Brie-Nord, Brie-Sud, and avenue de Verdun districts in northern Créteil. These extensions will connect a further 6 900 housing equivalents and require an investment of 17 million EUR. The objective is to maximise the number of new connections for each euro invested, without increasing the cost of heat for users or the energy bills of buildings after connection. In addition to these extensions, 3 900 housing equivalents located close to the existing network will also be connected.
Read more in article from Ville Créteil
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