The Pays de la Loire region, the department of Vendée, Greater La Roche-sur-Yon, the utilities operator SyDEV, the renewable energy company Vendée Energie and the Michelin Group signed a letter of intent today on the project to transform the site at La Roche-sur-Yon.
- An innovation cluster dedicated to new energy technologies will be created on the site of the former Michelin tire plant.
- The first manifestation of the project, a multi-energy distribution center, will be installed by local utility SyDEV in 2021.
On announcing the closure of its plant in La Roche-sur-Yon on October 10, 2019, the Michelin Group committed to launching a large-scale public-private project to develop new sustainable ventures on the site in support of the local economy. After several months of discussions and co-construction, led by a dedicated stakeholder committee, the first stage of the project to transform the former Michelin plant at La Roche-sur-Yon began today with a signed letter of intent concerning the site’s future.
Signed by the Pays de la Loire region, the department of Vendée, La Roche-sur-Yon, the utilities operator SyDEV, the renewable energy company Vendée Energie and the Michelin Group, this document sets out a shared vision for the project and the fundamental drivers of the future “Energy Innovation Cluster”. The objective is to set up an ecosystem that will create jobs and businesses in sustainable energy and “manufacturing of the future”, based on the following five drivers:
– manufacturing-artisanship: developing the manufacturing or artisanal activities of the future;
– research-development/demonstrators: developing profitable applications;
– training-research: developing skills geared toward energy and the manufacturing of the future;
– start-up/incubator: developing young, innovative companies;
-services-engagement: developing services that meet the needs of the cluster, the companies operating there and regional players.
