Lunéville. First assessment of district heating: the trend is positive

The first report from the Lunéville district heating public service delegation (DSP) was presented this Thursday evening to the municipal council. This report covers an incomplete year, given that the network's final commissioning was scheduled for September 1, 2024. By the end of last year, all subscribers (except the MAS Croix-Rouge and the Sarrebourg residence) had been connected, representing a subscribed power of 21,403 kW for 48 subscriptions. And it is logically the town of Lunéville that has the most delivery points.

Technically and financially, 2024 therefore consists of nine months of operation on the mini-grid and three months of operation on the full grid, with installations currently being adjusted. It is therefore difficult to draw any definitive conclusions from this.

First observation: the 2024 margin is negative, notably due to the commissioning of equipment and the gas consumption linked to this commissioning. Second observation: the price per useful MWh, which was €110.90 (including tax) for Lunéville last year, compared to a national average of €114.20. These prices should mathematically decrease next year given that the network is not expected to draw as much on gas. Last year, the share of biomass in all primary energies was 86%.

However, each subscriber has a different price because this is an average price. Indeed, the rate applied depends on energy consumption and the subscription price, with, in particular, higher rates for large energy consumers. "We are in an incomplete year and 2025 will be the balance sheet for a full year. But the idea of the contract is to move towards the use of only wood chips and we are getting close to that. Especially since, if the delegate (Dalkia) uses gas to operate the boiler room, it will bill Lunéville Énergies for the price of the wood. It therefore has no interest in doing so because it costs it more," explains Mayor Catherine Paillard.

Finally, it's our understanding that individuals cannot connect to the Lunéville district heating network. This question seems to come up often, and the answer remains the same: individuals cannot connect to this network!