Petition in English

 

Petition: No to the wood pellet boiler plant project in Tignes – Let's protect the climate, our health, the mountains, the forests and the glaciers!

Dear Mayor, dear Members of the Municipal Council,

The Town Council plans to build, in 2027, a district heating network supplied by a 30 to 35 MW pellet boiler plant. At full capacity, this facility will burn 185 tonnes of wood per day. Under the guise of renewable energy, this project is a step in the wrong direction for the environment, the climate and public health in our community.

We wish to draw your attention to four major dangers posed by this project:

1- A waste of energy made worse by altitude:

A district heating network is subject to heavy constraints, especially at high altitude. On average, these networks lose 25% of the energy they carry (official 2023 figures from SDES, the French government statistics service). In Tignes, extreme weather and prolonged ground frost will increase these losses.

2- Our forests are at breaking point:

The carbon sink of French forests has collapsed, falling from −70 Mt of CO₂ per year in 2008 to −27 Mt in 2021, as a result of climate change and excessive logging. Burning wood on a massive scale accelerates the destruction of a vital ecosystem which, according to scientific projections, will become a net emitter of CO₂ as early as 2030.

3- An immediate disaster for the climate and the glaciers:

At the chimney, burning wood instantly releases huge quantities of greenhouse gases (400 g of CO₂ per kWh). At full capacity (35 MW), this facility will emit 350 tonnes of CO₂ per day (i.e. more than 10 000 tonnes per month).

Given that every kilogram of CO₂ emitted eventually causes 15 kg of ice to melt worldwide, this project will be responsible for the loss of 5 000 tonnes of glacier ice every day.

4- A direct threat to health and to the air in our resorts:

Burning wood releases large quantities of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), NOx, CO and toxic gases. At high altitude, the topography and temperature inversions trap smoke at ground level. This project creates a major and lasting health risk for residents and holidaymakers.

A forward-looking alternative already exists:

Tignes is an emblem of hydroelectric power in Europe. Rather than burning wood, the Municipality should encourage the shift to low-carbon, pollution-free electricity from the French electricity mix. Existing oil-fired boilers should gradually be replaced by high-performance heat pumps or other modern, non-polluting, CO₂-neutral technologies.

We, the co-owners, residents and holidaymakers who care about Tignes, call on you to abandon the planned district heating network supplied by a municipal wood pellet boiler plant.

lien vers le site : https://c.org/xqPZjr59Q8

Informations : tignes.zerocarbone@gmail.com

Please sign : https://c.org/4qWJjxjMsg