SNCF Voyageurs turns to wind energy to help power its trains
The newly launched Cheniers Énergies site—France’s largest wind farm under a direct green power purchase agreement—is a milestone in SNCF Voyageurs’ drive to source 40-50% of its rail traction electricity from renewables by 2030.
A site 100% dedicated to train traction
The challenge: power our trains with green energy equal to the total annual electricity consumption of high-speed services serving the Paris-Strasbourg, Paris-Nancy and Strasbourg-Nantes lines. That’s the mission of the Cheniers Énergies wind farm in the Marne region of northeastern France.
Officially inaugurated on 15 May 2025 by SNCF Energie, a subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs, and Valorem Group, the site comes 12 months after the signature of a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Under this 25-year agreement, long-standing green energy player Valorem Group will supply 100% of wind farm’s output to SNCF Energie.
8
wind turbines, each with a tip height of 180 metres
Annual output
93 GWh
of electricity a year—enough to power over 20,000 households
The equivalent of
4,278 t
of CO2e emissions avoided annually
Stable, low-carbon electricity supplies for the long term
The long-term PPA between SNCF Energie and Valorem Group guarantees a virtually fixed electricity price for over 25 years, shielding SNCF Voyageurs from market volatility.
And thanks to the low carbon footprint of French wind power—just 14 grams of CO2e per kWh—this agreement will also avoid the release of 4,278 tonnes of CO2e each year.
Meeting climate goals and MOA specifications
SNCF Energie has managed SNCF Voyageurs’ Corporate PPA programme since 2018. By 2027-2028, these contracts will deliver some 826 GWh annually from wind and solar power.
SNCF Voyageurs aims to source 40-50% of electricity for its rail traction needs from renewables by 2030, including 20% under Corporate PPAs. That goal is aligned with rising sustainability demands from France’s Mobility Organizing Authorities, who are increasingly building these concerns into contract specifications.
SNCF Energie—powering France’s largest electricity user
As a key player in France’s wholesale electricity market in France, SNCF Energie has long supplied power to SNCF Voyageurs for its entire fleet (TGV, TER, Intercités and Transilien trains) and to its subsidiary Eurostar for rail traction. With over 80% of rail traction powered by electricity, SNCF Voyageurs was France’s largest single electricity consumer in 2024, accounting for 1.2% of electricity use nationwide.
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