November 28, 2022: The Renault Group is performing with French utility Engie on devising a geothermal energy assignment at the automaker’s Douai, with the collaboration set to the previous 15 years.

In a statement, Renault said that a subsidiary of Engie would begin drilling work at Douai, which was established in 1970 and which is focusing on bodywork assembly in late 2023.

The plan centres around taking heated water from a depth of 4,000 meters, or over 13,100 feet.

According to Renault, this water will help meet the Douai site’s “industrial and heating process, which is needed from 2025.” The temperature of the water will be amid 130 and 140 degrees Celsius.

“Once implemented, this geothermal technology would continuously provide a power of nearly 40 MW,” the company said.

“In summer, when the necessity for heat is lower, geothermal energy could be used to stating carbon-free electricity,” it further said.

The Renault Group’s CEO, Luca de Meo, stated the program planned for Douai is “one of the famous ambitious decarbonization projects on a European industrial site.”

According to the International Energy Agency, geothermal energy is “energy available as heat included in or discharged from the earth’s crust, ” which can give electricity and provide direct heat.

Therefore, the U.S. Department of Energy added that geothermal energy “supplies renewable power near the clock and emits no greenhouse gases.”

News regarding Renault’s geothermal project with Engie was related by details of other projects centred around decarbonizing operations at several of the automotive giant’s industrial facilities.

Relating to the bigger picture, Renault targets carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040 and 2050 worldwide.

Despite this goal, a top manager at the company recently said that its internal combustion engine is continuing to play the biggest role in its business over the future years.

Earlier this month, the Renault Group and Chinese company Geely signed a non-binding framework agreement to establish a firm focused on developing, producing and supplying “hybrid powertrains and highly efficient ICE powertrains.”

Renault Chief Financial Officer Thierry Pieton is planning to explain a few of the reasoning behind the decided partnership with Geely.

“In our viewpoint, and according to all the studies we’ve to get, there is no scenario as ICE and hybrid engines show less than 40% of the market horizon of 2040,” stated. “So, it’s a market that will continue to grow,” he added.