Around fifty buildings on the Croisette in Cannes will soon be heated or air-conditioned by the sea

The palaces of the Croisette and the Palais des Festivals will be pampered. The Cannes metropolitan area launched construction work on a thalassothermal power plant on Monday which should provide heat or coolness, depending on the season, to around fifty buildings.

For an investment of 55 million euros – two thirds committed by Engie Solutions and the last third coming from public subsidies – the plant must come into operation in the fall of 2027.

Installed up to 12 m deep under the Roseraie garden, at the end of the Croisette, it will collect the heat or coolness of the sea thanks to pipes up to six meters deep, far from the swimming areas.

The Mediterranean as a “resource”

The project was launched in 2023 and is accompanied by work on the pipes along the Croisette to transport heat or coolness from the sea to the Palais des Festivals, as well as 17 hotels, a college and several dozen buildings.

“We are fortunate to have a local, abundant and precious resource: the Mediterranean,” declared David Lisnard (New Energy, ex-LR), mayor of Cannes and president of the city behind the project.

David Lisnard also assured that the use of this renewable energy would reduce CO2 emissions by 10,800 tonnes per year while subscribers would see up to 15% reduction in their energy bill.