TotalEnergies and Altergie have commissioned a 28.5 MWc photovoltaic plant in Indre-et-Loire, built on the site of a rehabilitated former quarry.

TotalEnergies and Altergie inaugurated the Truyes solar plant, located at Les Terrages in Indre-et-Loire, in the presence of local officials and regional stakeholders. With an installed capacity of 28.5 megawatts-peak (MWc), the facility comprises more than 48,000 photovoltaic panels. It will produce 34.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, a volume equivalent to the yearly consumption of nearly 21,500 residents, according to the two companies. The plant is expected to avoid the emission of close to 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.

This type of industrial site conversion fits within a broader trend of repurposing degraded land for solar power generation. Comparable installations have recently emerged elsewhere, such as the 120 MW Hart solar farm completed by NorthStar Clean Energy in Michigan, or the Devnya solar park in Bulgaria, expanded to 65 MWp by Renalfa IPP.

A former quarry converted into a renewable asset

The former Terrages quarry, operated by Ligérienne Granulats, had been rehabilitated but remained without a new use. TotalEnergies and Altergie selected the site to develop a locally rooted renewable project, drawing on the redevelopment potential of already artificialized land. The plot has thus gained a second life through renewable electricity production.

"This project confirms our strategy of targeting solar plants that give a new use to human-altered sites," said Jean-Charles Lavigne Delville, founding president of Altergie Développement, quoted in the companies' statement. He praised the trust placed in the developers by Ligérienne Granulats, the site's owner, as well as the constant support provided by the municipality of Truyes throughout the project.

A construction site monitored by drone

Beyond its energy and territorial dimension, the Truyes construction site also served as a testbed for an innovative monitoring approach. TotalEnergies deployed a system of autonomous drones, with regular aerial imagery fed into a dedicated platform. The solution gave teams a consolidated view of construction progress, allowing them to compare actual work against schedule and centralize visual site information.

Gaël Vallée, development director at TotalEnergies Renouvelables France, said the group and Altergie are building on their experience redeveloping degraded land and leftover motorway plots. He noted that the project fits within the Centre-Val de Loire regional planning and sustainable development scheme (SRADDET). The site will be maintained through eco-grazing, with sheep managing vegetation while limiting the use of mechanical equipment.

TotalEnergies expands its footprint in Centre-Val de Loire

According to Annick Noble, TotalEnergies' regional director for Centre-Val de Loire, the Truyes plant is the group's second-largest solar site in the region, after the La Métairie facility in Gien, in the Loiret department. TotalEnergies directly employs more than 3,300 people in the region and operates a network of 190 service stations along with 587 electric vehicle charging points. Nearly 132 MW of renewable capacity is already in operation across 15 sites in the region, with additional projects under development, according to the company.

Between 2023 and 2025, TotalEnergies supported 29 local businesses through its zero-interest loan program, for a total amount lent of close to one million euros, contributing to the creation or preservation of 712 jobs, the group said.