RTE’s investments within the scope of businesses regulated by the CRE (Energy Regulatory Commission) totalled €1,456 million in 2019. Investments were concentrated mainly on continuing work on the new interconnector with England (IFA2), the DC interconnection between France and Italy passing through the Fréjus safety tunnel (“Savoy – Piedmont”), and the restructuring of the 225 kV network in Haute-Durance.

Work also continued during the year on the Avelin – Gavrelle and Carrières – Breteuil –Valescourt projects, and initial investments were made in the Saint-Nazaire project.

The RTE investment programme approved by the regulator for 2020 totals €1,808 million. The increase relative to 2019 is explained by a combination of projects: completion of work on the Savoy – Piedmont interconnection, continuation of work on the IFA2 interconnection and Haute-Durance project, and the ramp-up of work on connections for offshore wind farms, the Avelin – Gavrelle project, and local undergrounding initiatives related to the 2024 Olympic Games. Lastly, the budget includes investments relating to the connection of the CCGTCombined-cycle gas turbine plant in Landivisiau.

RTE is taking action to reduce the environmental impact of its activities by utilising resources and energy more efficiently. For instance, in 2004, RTE launched an initiative to reduce leakage of SF6, which has a strong greenhouse gas effect. SF6 is currently used to insulate high-voltage equipment. It can be found in SF6 circuit breakers (present in most overhead transformers) and gas-insulated substations, whether inside buildings or outdoors. SF6 emissions reached 4.9 tonnes in 2019. Implementation of a leak recovery solution is expected to translate into further improvement.

RTE is also forging partnerships to turn its power line corridors into corridors of biodiversity. Nearly all of RTE’s infrastructure is located in agricultural areas (70%) or wooded regions (20%), and some 23,000 km of power line corridors cross through protected natural areas.

Protecting and encouraging the development of biodiversity are cornerstones of RTE’s environmental policy. Its commitment is recognised as part of the “2011-2020 National Strategy for Biodiversity” by the Ministry of Ecology.

In 2019, RTE developed a total of 1,161 hectares as biodiversity-friendly areas through partnerships with local players, strengthening the company’s roots in the French regions.

Detailed sustainable development information can be found in RTE’s Management Report, published in March.