ENGIE and CMA CGM plan biomethane production in Le Havre
ENGIE and CMA CGM signed a framework agreement for a biomethane plant in Le Havre, intended to supply shipping fuel from 2029–2030. Planned annual production is 7,000 tonnes. CMA CGM would take a minority stake through its PULSE fund, while ENGIE handles design and permits. Construction depends on a final investment decision, and the investment amount remains undisclosed.
Economics & Markets··Morning
A framework agreement precedes construction
ENGIE, the French energy group, and CMA CGM, the French shipping and logistics group, signed a framework agreement for a biomethane production plant in Le Havre’s industrial-port area in France. Supply is planned from 2029–2030. The agreement sets out a division of responsibilities before construction: ENGIE leads technical design and permit applications, while CMA CGM intends to join as a minority shareholder.[1], [2]
CMA CGM’s participation is planned through PULSE, its investment fund for technologies and infrastructure supporting lower emissions in transport and logistics. ENGIE’s construction and operation of the plant depend on a final investment decision. Neither the investment amount nor the ownership allocation has been disclosed. The project therefore remains at the development stage, with design and permits preceding a decision to build.[1], [2]
Waste feeds a gas-grid supply
The planned facility would use livestock waste, household biowaste and agricultural residues to produce 7,000 tonnes of biomethane a year, equivalent to 100 GWh of energy. ENGIE also projects annual production of 100,000 tonnes of digestate, the organic residue usable as fertiliser, and recovery of 13,000 tonnes of biogenic carbon dioxide for sale. Those quantities describe the proposed facility’s output rather than production already achieved.[1], [2]
Biomethane is intended for vessels using liquefied natural gas. The supply arrangement relies on injection into the European gas network and certified mass-balance accounting, which attributes an equivalent quantity to CMA CGM. The gas would pass through the shared network rather than a dedicated direct delivery from the plant to ships. ENGIE says the fuel can use existing engines and bunkering infrastructure.[1], [2]
Earlier Le Havre plans form the backdrop
The groups announced a separate Le Havre project called Salamandre in 2022. It envisaged 11,000 tonnes of annual biomethane production from wood waste using thermal gasification, with investment of 150 million euros. Its opening was postponed from 2026 to 2027. ENGIE currently has around 1.2 TWh of capacity across 42 sites in France, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands. Its European annual production target of 10 TWh is now set for 2035, rather than the earlier 2030 date.[2]
ENGIE’s partnership with CMA CGM began in 2021. CMA CGM says it aims for net-zero carbon across its operations by 2050 and expects more than 200 dual-fuel vessels able to use biomethane, biomethanol or synthetic fuels in its fleet by 2030. The shipping group’s strategy also includes reducing energy consumption through operational improvements and changes to its assets.[1]
