Syensqo Secures $23M Funding for Decarbonization Project
Syensqo, a specialty materials company headquartered in Brussels, said its decarbonization project at the Saint-Fons site in Rhône, France, has been selected under the French government’s “Major Industrial Decarbonization Projects” program, part of the France 2030 investment plan. The project is one of seven industrial initiatives chosen to support emissions reductions at key industrial sites, according to the company.
At the Saint-Fons facility, Syensqo plans to install a large-capacity electric boiler to produce lower-carbon steam, replacing two natural-gas units. The €20-million ($23-million) project is expected to reduce emissions by about 22,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year, according to the company. The installation will be carried out in partnership with energy provider Dalkia, with commissioning scheduled for 2029.
The electric boiler will complement a biomass boiler already under installation at the site, with initial low-carbon steam production expected by the end of 2026. The biomass system will use primarily wood waste sourced from the Rhône-Alpes region, according to the announcement.
“Our decarbonization projects strengthen both our competitiveness and our energy autonomy at a time of high volatility in energy and carbon prices,” Arnaud Douet, industrial director at Syensqo, said in a statement.
The Saint-Fons projects are part of Syensqo’s One Planet program, which targets a 42% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040, according to the company. The site produces vanillin for the food industry and serves markets including agriculture, perfumery, pharmaceuticals, electronics and polymers.
In other developments, Syensqo recently confirmed that its ion-exchange polymer will be used in the fuel cell system of the Climate Impulse hydrogen aircraft project. It also announced a partnership with Axens to form Argylium, a new company focused on scaling solid electrolyte materials for all-solid-state batteries.