TotalEnergies and Holcim have inaugurated what is described as Europe’s largest floating solar installation at Holcim’s Obourg cement plant in Belgium, as part of the site’s wider decarbonisation programme.
The project comprises a 31MW floating photovoltaic system installed on former quarry water bodies at the site, incorporating around 55,000 solar panels. The facility will supply renewable electricity directly to the cement plant, reducing reliance on grid power and lowering operational emissions.
The installation is expected to cover a significant share of the plant’s electricity demand, contributing to Holcim’s broader strategy to increase renewable energy use across its cement operations. Earlier project disclosures indicated that the solar plant could supply a notable proportion of the Obourg facility’s power requirements while supporting long-term emissions reductions.
The floating solar project forms part of Holcim Belgium’s “Go4Zero” programme to transform the Obourg site into a low-carbon cement production hub. The wider initiative includes plans for carbon capture, alternative fuels and process upgrades aimed at significantly reducing CO2 emissions from cement production.
