Solar plant in Toulouse The largest urban solar plant ever built

The 25-hectare solar plant near the city centre of Toulouse is a multi-faceted project: Axpo's solar plant is located on formerly contaminated land of a disused fertiliser factory, forms an aerial work of art and was co-financed by the local population.

Almost 20 years ago, a terrible explosion occurred on the site of the AZF fertiliser factory in Toulouse, traumatising the entire city and its population. A large-scale solar plant was put into operation on the contaminated land in 2020. The plant with a capacity of 15 MWp covers an area of 25 hectares and produces 19,350 MWh of sustainable electricity annually. This is enough to meet the electricity needs of 4,100 households. Thanks to the cooperation of Axpo subsidiary Urbasolar and political and local stakeholders, this formerly heavily polluted site is being reborn as an emblematic environmental project.

A local project

For the first time, a project of this magnitude has been majority financed by local organisations, including the metropolis of Toulouse, the city's electricity provider and the Occitanie region's energy and climate agency. The inhabitants of the southern French city also had the opportunity to invest in the solar park and thus secure an annual return on their investment.

Thanks to the exemplary cooperation, Axpo subsidiary Urbasolar was able to put the solar plant into operation just one year after installing the first panel. The plant in Toulouse is the largest urban solar plant ever built.

Located near the city centre of Toulouse, the solar installation is immediately striking for its aesthetics. The installation was designed by the French artist Damien Aspe as "Land Art". Different coloured panels were integrated between the solar panels. Depending on the angle of view - for example from Blagnac airport or from the future cable car over the Garonne - a different image appears.