OSLO, NORWAY – 14 December 2021 – To mark the start of the preparatory work for Circa’s ReSolute plant in the Moselle region of France, French Minister of State for Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher visited the site on Friday 10 December.

Ms Pannier-Runacher was joined by key regional and local government officials at the ReSolute plant which will be located on the site of Gazel Energie’s Emile Huchet coal-fired power station.
Circa will be the first company to occupy the repurposed facility and in doing so supports the region’s plan to transition from coal-fired power generation to a more sustainable, greener, lower carbon economy that provides skilled jobs in clean technologies.

In a media statement, French Minister of State for Industry, Agnès Pannier Runacher said, “This project bears witness to the industrial transformation of our country. Here in Carling, we will move from using coal for energy to low-carbon biomass heat and we will move from fossil-based chemistry to bio-based chemistry. By decarbonising the very fabric of our industry, we make it more sustainable but also more competitive and less vulnerable to price fluctuations in raw materials. Our efforts in Carling also show how, on an industrial area, we can reindustrialise and attract new companies by working collectively with companies from the platform and making the most of the key sites we have. It’s a real local dynamic which has started in the Warndt Naborien which we will continue to capitalise on.”
(Unofficial translation of the minister’s quote. The full quote is below in the original French version.)

The significance of ReSolute for the region is reflected in the support of the French government. The EUR 50 million plant will come online in Q3 2023 and produce 1,000 tonnes of Circa’s low-toxicity solvent Cyrene™, to replace harmful, fossil-based solvents which are commonly used in everyday products.

Tony Duncan, CEO of Circa Group AS, said, “The EU and French government understand the opportunity to create a safer, more sustainable economy for their citizens and the environment. Circa welcomes the support shown by French authorities at national, regional and local level. Together we are showing that a safer, more sustainable way to make everyday products is possible.”

Official French quote:
“La Ministre déléguée chargée de l’Industrie, Agnès Pannier-Runacher a déclaré : «Ce projet témoigne de la reconquête industrielle de notre pays : nous allons ici, à Carling, passer du charbon comme énergie à la chaleur biomasse bas carbone, et passer de la chimie fossile à la chimie biosourcée. Décarboner en profondeur notre tissu industriel, c’est le rendre plus durable mais aussi plus compétitif et moins vulnérable aux variations de prix des matières premières. Nos efforts à Carling illustrent également comment, sur un territoire industriel, nous pouvons réindustrialiser et attirer de nouvelles implantations en jouant collectif entre industriels de la plateforme et en valorisant nos sites clé en main : c’ est une véritable dynamique locale qui est enclenchée dans le Warndt Naborien, sur laquelle nous allons continuer à capitaliser. »