Join the revival of 3 hydroelectric power plants
Developed by Acta Power, the Acta Champagne project aims to acquire and rehabilitate 3 hydroelectric power plants to maintain their production capacity while improving their ecological impact. This is the third fundraising campaign by this project owner with Total Energies Invest, following the success of Acta Aquitaine and Acta Clairvaux .
Thanks to your investment, 4,705 MWh of renewable and low-carbon electricity will be produced each year following the renovation of the power plants, equivalent to the electricity consumption (excluding heating) of more than 2,111 people*.
In operation for many years, the three power plants benefited from electricity purchase tariffs that were expiring: in 2033 for the Bar-sur-Seine power plant, and in 2035 for the Dienville and Juvanzé power plants. Thanks to their acquisition and renovation by Acta Power, a new electricity purchase tariff has been secured for the next 20 years.
To finance the acquisition of the power plants, the company is seeking to raise 3,700,000 euros in the form of simple bonds, with an annual interest rate of 8%.
Production-consumption equivalence - Forecast production: 4,705,994 kWh/year - Annual electricity consumption excluding heating: 4,792 kWh/year (Source: https://www.precarite-energie.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/panel-usages-electrodomestiques-2021-rapport.pdf) - Number of people per household: 2.15 people (Source: https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2381486) - Calculation: 4,705,994 / 4,792 x 2.15 = 2,111.412 people/year *
The offer
Acta Power , a French company, offers an investment opportunity in the financing of three hydroelectric power plants located in the Aube region, grouped under the company Acta Champagne.
OBJECTIVE
The crowdfunding operation by Acta Champagne aims to raise up to €3,700,000 in a single tranche.
USE OF FUNDS
These funds will be used by the project holder to finance the acquisition of three hydroelectric power plants.
REPAYMENT
The repayment of the bonds will be made through a long-term bank refinancing currently under discussion.
SECURITY
Investors benefit from a first-ranking pledge on the assets of the issuing company.
LEGAL STRUCTURE AND TOTAL ENERGIES INVEST’S INVOLVEMENT
Specifications
Investment phases
- Investment open to everyone
End of project financing
Resources
Simulator
Investment simulation
Acta Champagne -
Obligation
8%/year over 3 years
- PEA-PME
Simulation - Rate : 8% / year on 3 ans
Initial investment:
€5,000
Repayments and interest:
€6,200
In 3 transfers
| Date | Interest* | Capital | Amount |
| 14/04/2027 | €400 | €0 | €400 |
| 14/04/2028 | €400 | €0 | €400 |
| 14/04/2029 | €400 | €5,000 | €5,400 |
| Total | €1,200 | €5,000 | €6,200 |
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*Gross interest before tax, including all fees ( view taxation ) The result presented is not a forecast of the future performance of your investments. It is only intended to illustrate the mechanics of your investment over the investment period. The evolution of the value of your investment may vary from what is shown, either increasing or decreasing. |
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The project
🧬 The Genesis
Founded in 2022 by four professional associates in renewable energy production , Acta Power started its activity by developing software for identifying sites suitable for the installation of hydroelectric power plants and flow modeling. Thanks to this experience, the company quickly became a electricity producer by developing its expertise from upstream development to the operational management of hydroelectric power plants, including their renovation.
Four power plants are already being acquired and renovated thanks to financing collected on Total Energies Invest: three plants in Aquitaine, and one in Champagne in Clairvaux . The operational exploitation of the Clairvaux power plant, located nearby, will be shared with the new Champagne power plants in order to control costs and maximize hydroelectric production.
Aerial view of the Moulin de la Forge basse de Clairvaux, property of Acta Power following an Total Energies Invest collection
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For this new acquisition and rehabilitation project, Acta Power plans to bring in the current operating owner as a new shareholder within Acta Champagne: he will bring his 25 years of experience in hydroelectricity, both small and large, and his local company providing services to small-scale hydroelectricity to the success of the project.
💧 The Technology: Hydroelectricity
Electricity of hydraulic origin is the first source of renewable electricity in France (and the second low-carbon source after nuclear power), representing almost 14% of the electricity mix in 2024 (RTE).
In 2024, French hydroelectricity produced 73.1 TWh of decarbonized electricity, representing an installed capacity of 25.7 GW (RTE). It is divided into more than 2,500 installations (France Hydroélectricité) distributed by power as follows:
- Run-of-the-river power plants 26%
- Lock-type power plants 16%
- Lake power plants 40%
- Pumped storage power plants (STEP) 18%
Did you know? Run-of-the-river power plants are installed on the course of rivers and streams, without water retention : electricity is produced in real time, depending on climatic events (rain, droughts, seasons…). They therefore have little or no capacity to modulate their production according to needs, but require only simple and less costly modifications than those of higher power plants.
Three Power Plants Soon to be Renovated
Acta Power, through its subsidiary Acta Champagne, will acquire three hydroelectric power plants for renovation thanks to Total Energies Invest financing. Located on the Aube and Seine rivers, they will eventually produce 4,700 MWh of renewable energy per year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 2,111 people.
Technical Characteristics of the Power Plants
The Power Plants in Images
During these acquisitions, the company has secured a new electricity purchase tariff for each power plant from EDF Obligation d’Achat for a period of 20 years. This contract involves carrying out renovation work:
- Complete replacement of two of the three turbines of the Dienville power plant , and improvement of its ecological continuity with the installation of fish-compatible grids and a fish passage device
- Replacement of the two old turbines with a single new turbine on the Juvanzé power plant, according to the currently envisaged scenario
- Complete replacement of three of the four turbines of the Bar-sur-Seine power plant: groups 1, 2, and 3 will thus benefit from the new energy purchase contract with EDF, while the production of the fourth non-renovated group will be marketed on the free market. Improvement of ecological continuity is also planned here with the installation of fish-compatible grids and a fish passage device .
For each of these projects, Acta Power will restart studies of solutions to improve ecological continuity: from upstream to downstream (fish passage device) and from downstream to upstream (fish pass).
💡 Did You Know?
Fish-compatible grids are devices made of fine metal grids placed upstream of hydroelectric power plants to perform three functions:
- Stopping fish to prevent their passage through the turbines
- Guiding them towards a downstream transfer system
- Transferring them downstream of the facility without damage.
Thus, they are most often associated with fish passage devices : in the case of Acta Champagne’s power plants, these are specially designed water evacuation chutes to allow fish to slide downstream of the hydroelectric power plant without encountering any obstacles or risks of injury.
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Impact
Project owners
🌊 Experts in Hydropower Project Development
Founded in 2022, Acta Power specializes in the development of renewable energy projects, particularly hydropower. Positioned across all phases of projects, from development to operation, the company focuses on solutions best integrated into their environment.
Carried by 4 partners with over 65 years of combined experience in energy and hydropower, Acta Power has developed several services that it offers to the various actors in hydropower in Europe.
Screening
Cross-analysis of numerous geographical data sources to compile inventories of sites with high renewable energy potential (gravitational hydropower, pumped-storage, or photovoltaic projects)
Hydrological Modeling
1. River flows
The team from French public research develops modeling tools based on the latest work of INRAE, to reconstruct past flows and predict future flows of rivers.
2. Impact of climate change
In collaboration with the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Sciences (LSCE), Acta Power analyzes the expected impacts of climate change on hydrology to ensure the sustainability of projects.
3. Evaporation of water bodies
Based on the FLake model, Acta Power's simulations allow for reliable, fast, and cost-effective evaluation of water loss due to evaporation on various water bodies.
Our analysis
Risk overview
Construction risks
Risk of higher construction costs due to rising raw material prices
Mitigation methods
Furthermore, labour costs account for a relatively small proportion of CAPEX. And with the turbine quotations received, the risks of CAPEX increases are measured.
Construction risks
Risk that the connection to the distribution or transmission network has not been completed or is not approved by the relevant authority before the planned date of commercial operation.
Mitigation methods
The power stations to be upgraded are already in operation today. As a result, civil engineering, connection and building construction work will be minimal. Most of the labour will be focused on replacing the turbines and refurbishing the mill machinery. The network connection has been generously sized to accommodate all planned improvements.
Refinancing risk
Credit risk related to the company's ability to refinance and meet its debt obligations.
Mitigation methods
Operating cash flows from the sale of electricity at the guaranteed purchase price are expected to begin in early 2028. Until then, the power plants will not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to repay Total Energies Invest's debt principal. Repayment will therefore come from refinancing via an investment fund or a new participatory bond issue. The risk here is that it will take time for the operation to generate cash flow, which could lead to refinancing in the long term. This risk is mitigated by the nature of the work to be carried out. As these are operational power plants, they already have established structures, limiting the labour required to the replacement of turbines and the adaptation of the machinery and distribution network to these.
Operating risks
Risk related to an activity that depends on a limited number of key persons responsible for carrying out the planned strategy. The risk is that one of these key persons leaves the project.
Mitigation methods
The project leader does not have a track record in managing this type of project. However, the partners who founded Acta Power have a successful track record as team managers responsible for financing, developing, building and operating small and large-scale hydroelectric power plants. In addition, the teams work with the incumbent operator who knows these plants well: for 18 years in Bar-sur-Seine and for 12 years in Dienville and Juvanzé.
Operating risks
Technological risk that the system will not perform as expected, or that performance will degrade more rapidly than anticipated.
Mitigation methods
The technology chosen (Kaplan) for this project is a benchmark in the hydroelectric sector. The teams responsible for maintaining the power stations are already in place and will ensure business continuity. In addition, Acta Power, through its associates, also has the necessary in-house expertise to maintain the power stations.
Investing in this participatory financing project involves risks, including the risk of total or partial loss of the capital invested. Your investment is not covered by the deposit guarantee schemes established in accordance with directive 2014/49/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council . Your investment is also not covered by the investor compensation schemes established in accordance with Directive 97/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council . Return on investment is not guaranteed. This is not a savings product, and we recommend that you not to invest more than 10% of your net assets in participatory finance projects. You may not be able to sell the investment instruments when you wish. If you are able to sell them, however, you may incur losses.
