OSLO, NORWAY – 22 September 2021 – Biotechnology company Circa Group has signed a new agreement with energy producer GazelEnergie to repurpose a former coal-fired power plant site as part of Flagship EU project ReSolute.
Circa is the recipient of an EU Horizon 2020 Flagship Grant, in part to fund the design, commissioning and operation of the ReSolute plant. Circa also leads the ReSolute project, which is focused on creating a new, sustainably-sourced, safer alternative to traditional, fossil-based solvents.
GazelEnergie is the owner of the Emile Huchet coal-fired power station site, adjacent to the Carling Saint-Avold platform and Total Chemesis Composite Park, in north-eastern France. The company has plans for green reindustrialisation of the site, with renewable heat production and a green hydrogen production project, which attract partners like Circa.
Circa’s Furacell™ process converts non-food biomass waste into advanced bio-based chemicals, including renewable solvent Cyrene™ which can replace traditional, toxic, fossil-based solvents such as NMP, DMF, DCM and DMSO. The ReSolute plant will manufacture Cyrene™ at industrial scale and is scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2023.
Jean-Michel Mazalerat, President of GazelEnergie, said: “The establishment of the ReSolute plant on the site of the Emile Huchet coal-fired power station is a strong signal for the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the region’s industry. It is a firm expression of our strategy to turn the page on coal by redeveloping the site with green projects that will create jobs.”
Tony Duncan, CEO and co-founder of Circa Group, said, “This milestone shows that we are on track with our growth trajectory. The timetable for bringing the ReSolute plant online is ambitious and the Carling site offers us the amenities we need. The repurposing of a former coal-fired power plant site into green chemistry is consistent with Circa’s perception of a circular green economy with safer and more sustainable products for the planet.”