A solar power plant at a former marshalling yard in Le Mans
SNCF Immobilier, our real estate subsidiary, gives new life to idle rail land. On the site of a former marshalling yard in Le Mans–Arnage, a powerful solar farm has been generating electricity since 2021.
Rail operations have modernized over the decades, leaving many of our legacy properties unused. Now SNCF Immobilier is giving them a new lease of life. Depending on their location, surface and surroundings, some of these sites are well suited to become solar farms. The powerful ground-mounted solar arrays shown here have been in operation since 2021.
We installed
572
solar arrays at our Le Mans–Arnage site
The farm produces
11,400
MWh annually
This facility avoids
5,000 T
of CO2, a year
Intact 500-kg bombs found on site
Because of its strategic location and purpose, the marshalling yard was heavily bombed during World War II and required decontamination—a process that uncovered a number of 500-kg bombs, still intact. To protect biodiversity at the site, we carried out a climate impact study and environmental inventories to identify its resident species and natural habitats. We also preserved a wooded parcel to preserve habitat for a protected plant, the woolly rock rose.
Much more to come
As France’s leading industrial consumer of electricity, SNCF Group is committed to putting a responsible energy policy into practice. In the months and years to come, look for more solar farms from us and our subsidiary SNCF Renouvelables.
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