A sizeable project and energy
for the future

The Gaya Project was launched in 2010 on the initiative of 11 partners from the industrial, institutional, and academic worlds in France and Europe. It is a research and development project that aims to approve innovative technology choices and the applications for so-called biomethane from dry biomass-to-gas, which is biomethane that primarily comes from lignocellulose materials (wood, straw, etc.).

Over a four-year period, Gaya has become a flagship project for meeting the challenges posed by the energy transition and the energy mix. A draft law is currently being drawn up on this issue at the government level. Renewable energies are obviously one of the key areas of this law.

Consult the 2013 National Security and Defense White Paper (available only in french)

Consult the website of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. The energy transition for green growth (available only in french)

Gaya is a collaborative project that brings together 11 cutting-edge partners.
The project is headed by ENGIE. The financing of the Project, which has been provided by ENGIE and ADEME via the French Investment Program, and by its partners, has been approved by the European Union.

But what is Gaya? It is the name of a project that covers several aspects. Gaya is a cutting-edge technology platform (first stone was laid in 2013, and site works are currently underway), a new green gas, a methanation process, and a goal, i.e. to be a component of the energy mix, and lastly an organization. The project aims to set up a new organized biomethane sector, and to ensure its viability and development.

“METHANATION”
This term is key, as it is at the heart of the process in the context of Gaya Project.

 Gaya is a unique project in Europe for many reasons.

The construction of the Gaya platform is based on a technological challenge. Its ultimate goal is to enable the production of a so-called biomethane from dry biomass-to-gas, which can be transmitted via the current networks or can be used directly for natural gas vehicles (NGV), via an innovative process, namely methanation, from waste such as wood and straw, etc.

The platform is currently an experimental model pilot for future biomethane production plants, which could emerge from 2020. This green gas will be low-cost and environmentally-friendly.

The overall yield expected from this process is above 60%. Few processes achieve this level of efficiency, which justifies the financial aspect of the green gas produced.

To ensure the success of this project, a €47 million budget was provided at project launch, including €19 million in subsidies from ADEME.

WHERE?

 The Gaya Platform is currently being built in Saint Fons, south of Lyon, in the Chemical Valley. The Gaya Platform is being built in Saint-Fons on land that belongs to the “Grand Lyon” Urban District. It is the first flagship project in the redevelopment of this industrial area, which has international ambitions. The Gaya Project is working on the development of the plant of the future alongside the French Institute for Excellence in Low-Carbon Energy, or IDEEL (available only in french).