Putting the quality of the environment at the forefront
Within a few months, terminal 1 at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport will replace its three gas boilers, in accordance with its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, to ensure the thermal comfort of its passengers, it will equip itself with an innovative system, developed with the support of its partner Dalkia, the EDF subsidiary specializing in sustainable energies: a tempered water loop. To put it simply, it is a buried pipe which will conduct water, the temperature of which will condition the central heating supply circuit.
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This solution is made possible by the proximity of the airport to the Haliotis treatment plant, which in fact receives the city’s wastewater. By recovering a flow of these waters, at a temperature that never drops below 18 to 20 degrees even in winter, the loop allows unused calories to be transported and used to warm passengers. It goes without saying that the fluids will never come into contact, only the thermal energy passing from the loop to the heating system. A bit like adding a hot water bottle to a cold water bottle: the latter heats up naturally.
Innovative solutions at all levels to reduce the carbon footprint
So much for the heating. But this system can also be used to refresh the terminal, fortunately. In this case, it is cooler water that must circulate in the loop, and not hot wastewater. Here too, the location of the Airport plays in its favor since opposite the Haliotis station is the water table of the Var. Its groundwater is in fact not very sensitive to seasonal variations and displays a stable and rather cool temperature: 15 ° C on average. Circulating in the pipe, it will transmit its frigories, heat up very slightly and be reinjected into the depths of the Var valley, without impacting the aquatic ecosystem. This eco-responsible solution will be put into service gradually between the end of the year and the beginning of 2022. It could be extended to other buildings in the west of Nice and thus fully participate in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse on the territory.
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If since 2016, Nice Côte d’Azur has become the first French airport to reach the carbon neutrality, the Group’s two other airports joined in 2018 to achieve the ambitious “NetZero carbon emission 2030” objective. And thus, to make the fight for the preservation of the environment and against global warming more than ever a priority.
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