French energy group EDF plans to convert its 1.2 GW Cordemais coal-fired power plant in western France to biomass (pellets from discarded wood) by spring 2022. The "Ecocombust" conversion project could replace around 1.3 to 2 Mt/year of coal imports from Poland, Australia and the United States with around 700 kt/year of biomass. It would reduce the net capacity of the two 580 MW units to 530 MW and the operation period from 4,000 hours per year to 800 hours per year, as the power plant would focus on winter peak power demand. The cost of the project, which is already in an advanced test phase, was not disclosed.
The Cordemais power plant includes two coal-fired units, which were commissioned in 1983 and 1984. In 2017, the power plant was overhauled to meet new safety and emissions standards and to keep operating until 2035. However, France aims to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2022, in order to reach a CO2-free power generation by 2050.