REPORTING. Near Pau, residents and environmental defenders mobilize against a biofuel factory project

A start-up wants to build three factories to produce biokerosene for airplanes near Pau, in the South-West. But the project is strongly criticized by residents and environmental defense associations.

The project shakes up environmental defenders in the South-West. A French start-up aims to build three factories in the Lacq basin, near Pau, to produce biofuels including tens of thousands of tonnes of biokerosene for planes. The investment amounts to two billion euros but manufacturing requires astronomical quantities of wood, that is to say wood. Opponents of this gigantic project, who fear for the region’s forests, have been mobilizing for several weeks. Franceinfo went to Garlin, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, at the beginning of May, during one of the numerous public meetings organized by environmental associations.

The small room is packed that evening. Around fifty people came to listen to representatives of the collective “Touche pas à ma forêt pour le climat”, 60 associations united against the factory project in Lacq. Among them Jacques Descargues, a former boss of the National Forestry Office who has been holding public meetings for several weeks. “I’m sorry for you, what I’m going to tell you is not happy. It’s a lot of worry”he warns, warning in particular about the quantities of wood needed to run the biokerosene factory.

“500,000 cubic meters per year is colossal. If we take a comparison, in the Basque Country it is the entire 20,000 hectares of the Iraty forest which would be absorbed to supply the factory in 15 years”illustrates Jacques Descargues.

“It’s the destruction of mountain forests which are extremely important for water regulation, biodiversity, global warming, etc… So it’s really aberrant.”

Jacques Descargues, former head of the Forestry Office and opponent of the project

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The observation is severe, especially since the forest is already suffering and will not, according to him, be able to provide the necessary wood. “The forest is no longer capable of adapting to global warming”deplores the former boss of the National Forestry Office.

The speech is followed attentively in the room, some even take notes but everyone is worried. “Making fuel to fly planes is anachronistic and not at all modern”judges a man. “We are ready to mobilize if necessary, within our means”assures a woman. “We will have to be behind and intervene, of course”supports another resident.

But for Benoit Decours, co-founder of Elise Energy, the start-up behind the factory project, residents’ concerns are unjustified. “Obviously we are not razing the forest. We are aiming for a three-thirds supply: one third forest biomass, one third agricultural biomass, vine shoots for example, and then one third wood waste, like the furniture you discard”he swears.

Benoit Decours even defends an industrial project “ecological” with the eventual production of 82,000 tonnes of biokerosene per year to help decarbonize aviation. The start-up hopes to launch the project by the end of next year, for commissioning by the end of 2028 at best.