French energy major TotalEnergies and Switzerland-based building materials firm Holcim have commissioned a 31MW floating solar PV plant in Obourg, Belgium.
The project is located on a former chalk quarry site that has been rehabilitated into a lake and is expected to generate around 30GWh of renewable electricity annually. The output will be fully self-consumed by Holcim’s industrial operations, making it the largest floating solar installation in Europe dedicated to self-consumption, according to the companies.
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To support grid connection while minimising environmental impact, more than 700 metres of horizontal directional drilling was undertaken to link the array to the electrical substation.
“We are delighted to inaugurate this floating solar power plant, which demonstrates TotalEnergies’ teams’ ability to innovate to meet the needs of our partner Holcim, whom we support along with other industrial customers in their efforts to decarbonize their operations,” said Olivier Greiner, managing director retail power & gas Belgium at TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergies is expanding a diversified portfolio spanning renewables – solar, onshore and offshore wind – and flexible assets, including combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) and storage, to supply firm low-carbon power. As of early 2026, the company had more than 34GW of gross renewable capacity and is targeting over 100TWh of net electricity generation by 2030.
Active in around 120 countries, TotalEnergies’ renewable portfolio exceeded 41GW of gross capacity as of late 2023. This includes 12GW of installed solar and a development pipeline of more than 25GW, supporting its target of over 34GW of total renewable capacity by early 2026.
