EIB Provides €90 Million Loan to Bordeaux Métropole Énergies to Drive Green Transition in Gironde

EIB Provides €90 Million Loan to Bordeaux Métropole Énergies to Drive Green Transition in Gironde

(IN BRIEF) The European Investment Bank has provided a €90 million loan to Bordeaux Métropole Énergies to support its 2024-2028 strategic plan, focusing on renewable energy projects and energy-efficient building renovations. This funding will aid in the development of solar power, biogas production, and renewable heating networks, all contributing to the region’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The loan also supports the EU’s REPowerEU programme, aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating the green energy transition.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUXEMBOURG, 28-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Bordeaux Métropole Énergies (BME) have signed a €90 million loan agreement to support the company’s 2024-2028 strategic plan, which aims to strengthen its role in advancing the energy transition in the Gironde department. This funding is part of the broader European Union initiative, Repower EU, aimed at accelerating the continent’s green and energy transformation.

The loan will support BME’s work in four key areas:

1. Development of photovoltaic energy solutions in both urban and rural areas for local authorities and businesses.
2. Creation and expansion of district heating and cooling networks powered by renewable energy sources.
3. Development of biogas production through anaerobic digestion.
4. Financing energy efficiency renovations for individual properties and jointly-owned buildings.

“We are pleased to support Bordeaux Métropole Énergies in its energy transformation plan, which will have a lasting positive impact on the Gironde region,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “This financing aligns with the EIB’s commitment to climate action and the energy transition, ensuring that EU funding benefits local communities across Europe.”

The funding will enable BME to further its goal of building a carbon-neutral territory by 2050. “The EIB’s support marks an important milestone for BME, enhancing our ability to implement low-carbon solutions in collaboration with local authorities and businesses,” said Claudine Bichet, Chair of BME’s Board of Directors.

BME Managing Director Audrey Dugal also emphasized the strategic importance of this support: “This loan allows us to scale up investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency across the Gironde department, helping to meet our sustainability targets.”

This financial backing is a crucial step in BME’s 2024 roadmap, which includes the development of solar photovoltaic projects on roofs, car parks, and in ground-based plants, alongside the expansion of renewable heating and cooling networks, biogas production, and energy-efficient building renovations.

The financing is part of the EIB’s long-standing support for local authorities in France and its broader climate action strategy, aligning with the European Commission’s REPowerEU programme to reduce Europe’s reliance on fossil fuels and drive the green transition.

Background information

About the EIB

The European Investment Bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives in climate action, environment, digitalisation, technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.

In 2024 the EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 projects in Europe and across the world. In France, the EIB Group signed more than 100 operations in 2024 for a total amount of €12.6 billion. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.

About the Bordeaux Métropole Energies Group

A major player in local energy transition, Bordeaux Métropole Energies (BME) is a group composed of four subsidiaries (Gaz de Bordeaux, Mixener, Néomix, Regaz-Bordeaux) and two brands (Facirénov and Via33), all committed to decarbonisation. They support local authorities, businesses and individuals in their energy revolution and decarbonisation through energy renovation activities and the construction of a local and diversified energy mix (biogas, solar, heating and cooling, and renewables). BME has been a local semi-public company since 2017 and its shareholding structure comprises public partners such as Bordeaux Métropole (67.9%), private players like Engie (20%), Banque des Territoires (12%) and 13 municipalities of the Bordeaux region (0.1%).

Media Contact:

Christophe Alix
c.alix@eib.org
+352 4379 – 84303

Press Office
press@eib.org
+352 43791

SOURCE: European Investment Bank