Enedis rolls out electric terminals ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

In the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organiser Paris 2024 alongside DSO Enedis and the French state has started mobilising electric terminals to connect the event sites to the grid to minimise the carbon footprint of the event in Paris and across France.

The electric terminals will be used to connect temporary sites of the Summer Olympics to the network, such as Place de la Concorde and Place du Trocadéro in Paris, and will remain as a legacy after the Games to benefit future events.

According to Enedis, the Games will be fully connected to the public electricity network.

This effort to lower the carbon footprint of the Games by reducing the dependency on diesel generators will now be extended nationally, to all cities and initiatives that are supporting the Games.

A call for expression of interest has been issued by the State, Enedis and Paris 2024 for local authorities and stakeholders, such as host cities, stage cities of the Torch Relay and celebration sites to name a few, to use the solution.

Interested parties can apply until October 1, 2023.

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ADEME (French Agency for Ecological Transition) will operate the device on behalf of the State and Enedis, which bears 60% of the total cost of the equipment and connection.

Georgina Grenon, director of environmental excellence for Paris 2024, commented on the announcement: “CO₂ and fine particle emissions, urban congestion, noise pollution… diesel generators will soon no longer be welcome at events.

“Electric terminals for events are the solution that an entire sector has been waiting for to be more responsible in terms of energy. Thanks to the support of the State and Enedis, communities will be able to benefit from them and offer them to the events they host, now and for a long time.”

Catherine Lescure, director of communication and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) of Enedis, added: “By connecting events to the electricity distribution network, we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the Paris 2024 Games. With the event electric terminals that we connect to the network, we are proud to provide an innovative and sustainable solution to cities.”

Ready for deployment

Enedis, a subsidiary of EDF Group, was selected earlier this year in April as an official supporter of the Paris 2024 Games.

Also in April, Enedis and the City of Paris began experimenting with the first electric terminals for the event to manage its high-power electrical needs.

The “new simple and quick connection solution”, stated Enedis in a press release, will connect the event sites to the electrical network and is hoped to fully eliminate the need for diesel generators.

Enedis added how the terminals fits perfectly into the ground of urban environments and is a retractable system, making it possible to store the bollard in the ground not in use.

When the community or an event organiser has a need, Enedis will make the event electrical terminal accessible at the request of the energy supplier chosen by the organiser to connect directly.

Added Bruno Bonnell, secretary general for investment, in charge of France 2030:

“This system for local authorities should allow them to cross the expensive threshold of ecological transition for events aimed at the general public. France must be a reference at the international level on eco-energy transitions, and the Paris 2024 Games must be a concrete demonstration.”