Europe is diverse, both in terms of geography and in terms of culture. And the solutions for the energy transition in the various European countries are just as diverse. The smarter E Europe regards this diversity to be an opportunity to learn from each other and to make the energy transition happen even faster and more efficient in each of the countries.
This series of articles presents innovative and successful projects from across Europe that show how a renewable 24/7 energy supply can work. The case studies should provide impulses and inspiration, turning “does not work” into “already exists”.
Electrolysis is one of the most electricity-intensive industrial processes. Yet, under the right conditions, it can also provide valuable flexibility for the power system. A sodium chlorate production plant in France demonstrates how an energy-intensive industrial process can evolve from a major electricity consumer into an active provider of grid services while generating additional revenue.
The plant uses electrolysis to produce sodium chlorate and has a maximum electrical load of 42 MW. Although the process requires a continuous electricity supply, power consumption can be adjusted within certain limits without affecting production quality. This flexibility is enabled by the thermal and chemical inertia of the process. As a result, up to 25 MW of load can be made available to support the electricity system whenever needed.
To unlock this potential, the plant has been working with flexibility specialist Energy Pool since 2014. The partnership began with participation in the French Capacity Mechanism, allowing the site to temporarily reduce its electricity consumption during periods of particularly high demand. Over the following years, the plant gradually expanded its role by participating in balancing markets, where electricity consumption is adjusted in real time to help keep the grid stable and compensate for fluctuations in renewable energy generation. Since 2025, electricity consumption has also been optimised according to wholesale electricity prices, allowing production to shift towards periods when electricity is less expensive.
The gradual expansion of these flexibility services has delivered significant economic benefits. Over the course of the collaboration, the plant has opened up several new revenue streams through different electricity market mechanisms. In 2025 alone, these generated gross revenues of more than €1.5 million while the optimisation of electricity consumption further reduced overall energy costs. In the future, the strategy could be expanded further through multi-site flexibility schemes or the integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
The project shows how industrial flexibility can create value for both companies and the electricity system. Instead of acting solely as electricity consumers, energy-intensive industries can actively support grid stability, facilitate the integration of renewable energy and improve their own competitiveness.
The featured best practice is one of many examples of industrial flexibility presented in SmartEn’s publication “Collection of Best Practices for Flexible Energy-Intensive Industries.” The publication, funded by The smarter E Europe, can be downloaded
here
.
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