chelles chaleur

What chelles chaleur does

Chelles Chaleur is a private French utility (SASU, share capital €369,000) and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Coriance Group, operating the district heating network of the city of Chelles in the Île-de-France region since 1994 under a Délégation de Service Public awarded by the Syndicat Mixte pour la Géothermie de Chelles (SMGC). The company produces and distributes thermal energy — space heating and domestic hot water — through a centralized geothermal production plant and over 14 km of underground insulated pipelines, with heat delivered to each connected building via a dedicated sub-station heat exchanger. The network serves approximately 7,000 equivalent housing units across six customer segments: residential housing (primary), municipal buildings, healthcare and EHPAD facilities, educational institutions, sports/cultural/tourist establishments, and private offices.

The core technology is a geothermal-powered district heating system with a renewable energy share above 56%, complemented by conventional backup sources. Heat is generated centrally and transferred to individual buildings through sub-stations, eliminating the need for on-site combustion equipment. The infrastructure has been progressively renewed, including a 2021 modernization that replaced 3.4 km of historic pipeline. Customer-facing services include a web portal and mobile application (iOS and Android) for account management.

Revenue is generated through subscription-based contracts under the public service delegation framework, charging connected subscribers for heating and domestic hot water delivery. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be set through the delegated service contract rather than market-based. The company's value proposition emphasizes decarbonization of building heating (7,700 tonnes of CO2 avoided annually), insulation from fossil fuel price volatility through the diversified renewable mix, and 24/7 operational monitoring. Chelles Chaleur has held the Ecoréseau label from Amorce for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025) in recognition of its renewable energy rate.

Name

chelles chaleur

Legal name

Chelles Chaleur

Website

https://chelleschaleur.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Chelles Chaleur operates the geothermal-powered district heating network of Chelles, France under a public service delegation, supplying space heating and domestic hot water to roughly 7,000 equivalent housing units and public institutions across a 14+ km pipeline as a subsidiary of the Coriance Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

District Heating Services

NAICS

Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (221330)

SIC

Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

District Energy & Community CHP (District Heating/Cooling Networks) (EUACAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Geothermal Direct Use Heat Projects (District Heating, Greenhouses, Aquaculture, Industrial Heat) (EUAMAEAG)

Keywords

• District heating network
• Geothermal heating
• Urban heat distribution
• Domestic hot water supply
• Public service delegation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chelles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. District heating distribution: Chelles Chaleur operates the district heating network of the city of Chelles under a public service delegation agreement with the SMGC (Syndicat Mixte pour la Géothermie de Chelles). The company produces and distributes heat to connected buildings, charging subscribers for heating and domestic hot water services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chelles Chaleur operates the urban district heating network (réseau de chaleur urbain) of the city of Chelles under a public service delegation from the SMGC, distributing heat produced primarily from geothermal energy through insulated underground pipelines to connected buildings. Each connected building is equipped with a sub-station (sous-station) that transfers heat from the primary network to the building's private secondary loop for space heating and domestic hot water. Services are billed on a recurring subscription basis to residential housing, public institutions, healthcare facilities, schools, and sports/cultural establishments.

Product overview

Chelles Chaleur operates as a district heating network operator for the city of Chelles, France. The company provides heating and sanitary hot water services to approximately 7,000+ housing equivalents through a 14km underground pipeline network. The network is powered primarily by geothermal energy (over 56%), with the remaining capacity supplemented by conventional sources. The core offering consists of the district heating infrastructure, geothermal production facilities, sub-station installations, and customer services including an online portal and mobile application. The company is a subsidiary of Groupe Coriance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,700 tonnes of CO2 avoided annually, equivalent to 6,400 cars
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ESIEE (École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs Electrotechnique et Electronique)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024ESIEE engineering school in Noisy-le-Grand signed a partnership with the Coriance Group in July 2024. The school trains future engineers in digital, energy, and environmental transitions. Under this partnership, Coriance collaborators participate in 'Job Dating' events with ESIEE students, and the recruitment team conducts interview preparation workshops. The partnership includes site visits, such as the October 2024 visit to the Chelles geothermal facility by 12 students in energy and energy transition engineering.
• Coriance GroupcoreOthersChelles Chaleur is a wholly-owned subsidiary (filiale) of the Coriance Group. Coriance accompanies local authorities and industries in the creation, construction, and operation of urban heating and cooling networks. The Group has been operating for 25 years and provides centralized support services including recruitment, operations, and technical expertise to its subsidiary.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CPCU (Compagnie Parisienne de Chauffage Urbain): Operates the Paris district heating network, the largest in France, supplying heat to residential, commercial and institutional buildings under a long-term concession. Highly comparable business model (urban heating utility with sub-stations and contract-based customer relationships).
• Dalkia: EDF subsidiary and France's largest district heating and cooling network operator, running hundreds of réseaux de chaleur across France. Direct competitor for French municipal DSP contracts and uses the same boiler-plus-renewable energy mix paradigm as Chelles Chaleur.
• Coriance Group: Parent company of Chelles Chaleur and direct operator of multiple French district heating and cooling networks. Same technology stack (geothermal, sub-stations, public service delegations), same customer profile, and same Coriance operating playbook, making the group the closest structural comparable.
• Idex: French energy services group operating district heating and cooling networks for public and private customers across France, with growing focus on geothermal and biomass. Direct competitor in the French DSP and urban heating market.
• ENGIE Solutions: Major French district heating operator serving municipalities, social housing landlords and industrial customers under similar concession/DSP structures. Comparable in scale, technology (boilers, geothermal, biomass) and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Vattenfall: Swedish state-owned utility operating large-scale district heating networks across Northern Europe, with extensive geothermal and biomass deployment. Comparable at the category level (district heating utility) though much larger and operating in different geographies.
• Fortum: Nordic energy group with significant district heating operations in Finland, Sweden and the Baltics. Provides a benchmark for advanced geothermal and combined heat and power district heating at scale, though primarily operating in Nordic rather than French regulatory regimes.
• Veolia Environnement: Global environmental services group with a French district heating and urban energy services arm competing for municipal heating contracts. Operates broader water and waste portfolios but overlaps directly on chauffage urbain DSPs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about chelles chaleur