Sur les quais de Bordeaux, des pontons équipés de bornes électriques pour le transport fluvial
The Ariane pontoon, located on the quays at Chartrons, will be put into service next March. Credits: MB
Bordeaux Métropole is pursuing its river policy, and has entrusted Enedis with the installation of electrical terminals on four quayside bridges. Infrastructures supposed to reduce the fuel consumption of boats, but also noise pollution.
Appointment was given in a biting cold, this Tuesday morning, on the quays of Bordeaux. At the Chartrons market, the fog did not discourage the teams from Bordeaux Métropole and Enedis; venues present to the press the progress of a project costing almost 6 million euros: the fitting of four bridges with electrical terminals. Goal ? Allow boats to connect to electricity directly along the quays. However, we are not talking here about the impressive liners that visit the Port of the Moon on sunny days; because the installations would be too intrusive, powerful and expensive. Above all, it is the competence of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux and no longer that of the Metropolis. Are concerned, therefore, river cruisers, large sailing ships for their stopovers, military ships, small seagoing vessels and large yachts.
For the Métropole, which has a delegation for “River enhancement, franchises and right bank rebalancing”, this project must support the development of tourism and the economy around the river. “Perhaps before we turned our backs a little on the Garonne, but today it is a question of benefiting from all its contribution and its wealth”, comments Jean Touzeau, vice-president of Bordeaux Métropole in charge of the delegation. In 2019, before the health crisis, river tourism in Bordeaux brought together 26,000 passengers, and 200 cruises ranging from one week to 10 days, departing from the quays.
A power of 250 kVA per terminal
For Enedis, this project is “exemplary”, due to its uniqueness. until recently, “there were no suitable solutions in France for the specific recharging of these boats”, the statement said. “It is necessary, to carry out the ecological transition, to set up a certain number of uses, explains Jean Paoletti, regional director of Enedis Aquitaine. Here, we are talking about several million euros invested to ensure that there is less CO2 in Bordeaux. » Of the 5.8 million euros for the project, the Métropole bears almost all of the investments (5.2 M€); and Enedis are contributing 600,000 euros. According to the studies carried out, 500 liters of fuel oil will be saved per day and per boat on average. “The use of electricity currently represents 25% of the energy bill, and this will increase to 65% in 2050, Resume Jean Paoletti. There is a huge amount of work to be done, both on support work and on energy management. »
To comply with Unesco standards, the transformer station is integrated under the quays. Credits: MB
The Ariane pontoon is equipped with three terminals, allowing the connection of three boats, and each delivers 250 kVA (kilovoltamperes). “It corresponds to the needs of a boat, but some larger ones will reach two limits”, we say on the side of Enedis. A system which is developing in particular in Paris or Royan, and which reduces, apart from noise pollution, olfactory nuisances. “It also avoids refueling in Bassens”, adds Jean Touzeau.
The next two pontoons in 2023 and 2024
A first terminal was deployed in 2020 on the Albert London pontoon. “This resulted in the non-combustion of nearly 200,000 liters of conventional diesel “, specifies the Metropolis. 405 tonnes of CO2 were removed that year by the “Cyrano de Bergerac” boat. The Ariane pontoon, currently being fitted out, will be ready to operate by next March. The quays of Bordeaux being registered with the inheritance of UNESCO, and to stick to the constraints imposed by such a classification, Enedis integrated at this time the substation of transformation in underground. Directly under the platforms, it will have a ceiling height of 2.5 meters and a floor area of 30 m². Two other pontoons will be equipped within two years: the Jefferson (at Hangar 14) in April 2023, and the Lafayette (at the skatepark), in April 2024.