In 2024, VINCI Autoroutes had more than 2,100 EV charge points in its network, of which 75% are ultra-fast chargers. Mobile EV charging stations have been tested to supplement charging station capacity to handle any high traffic peaks. The first Dyneff hydrogen station opened on the A61 motorway, as part of the Corridor H2 project led by France’s Occitanie region.
VINCI Autoroutes is also committed to developing carpooling and public transport on motorways. A programme is under way to develop carpool parking facilities at motorway entrances and exits: 59 car parks were in service at the end of 2024.
Currently, there is no consensus on any technological options to decarbonise freight transport and therefore heavy vehicles. However, the development of electric heavy vehicles is gathering pace. To contribute to this aim, VINCI Autoroutes created the subsidiary Voltix to roll out charging stations for electric heavy vehicles along major roads and in logistics hubs. The goal is to build a leader in the electrification of road freight transport. VINCI Autoroutes is also leading the “Charge As You Drive” consortium made up of VINCI Construction, Gustave Eiffel University, Hutchinson, two technology suppliers and Cerema. Since end-2024, the consortium has been testing two wireless charging solutions for electric heavy vehicles in real conditions on the A10 motorway. The first solution uses electromagnetic induction technology and the second conductive charging with a central rail.
Reducing emissions from airport users
In 2024, VINCI Airports invested more than €30 million in CapEx to implement the emissions reduction plan at its airports.
To reduce the impacts relating to air traffic, which is the primary source of indirect emissions for VINCI Airports, a system to adjust landing fees based on aircraft CO2 emissions was introduced at some airports in 2020, to accelerate fleet renewal. Already up and running in all of France’s regional airports, as well as Lyon-Saint Exupéry and London Gatwick airports, the system was being developed in 2024 in the ANA airports in Portugal and in Manaus airport in Brazil, for implementation in 2025. Similar schemes will be developed in 2025 for Belgrade airport in Serbia, Edinburgh airport in the United Kingdom, Budapest airport in Hungary, and the six airports in the Dominican Republic. The goal is to apply the system at all airports in the network.
VINCI Airports is leading several innovative projects to reduce emissions generated by the use of auxiliary power units (APUs) by installing equipment on the apron to supply electricity (400 Hz) and preconditioned air (PCA). APUs run on kerosene and release CO2 and other combustion gases. Supplying electrical power to parked aircraft allows pilots to limit their use of APUs and reduce the associated emissions. These initiatives, which involve the airports in Nantes and in Lyon and several airports in Portugal, among others, reduce the CO2 emissions of aircraft on the ground. In addition, they were co-funded with a European grant awarded through the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) call for decarbonisation projects.
VINCI Airports also encourages airlines to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), which have already been tested at several airports, including the ANA airports in Portugal and London Gatwick airport. At Saint-Nazaire Montoir airport, a partnership was signed with TotalEnergies to provide biofuel made with used cooking oils. Airbus will use this biofuel, which enables a 27% reduction in overall emissions, to refuel its cargo planes and the internal shuttles that run between its production plant in Saint-Nazaire and its assembly lines in Toulouse. The use of SAFs is encouraged at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport, which also offers free storage.
Other initiatives are also being taken to reduce aircraft emissions. For example, the “Monitoring Aircraft Carbon Footprint” initiative developed by ANA (Portugal) measures carbon emissions during taxiing in real time. Cobra Serpista is carrying out the project to electrify 80% of Iberia’s airport equipment (mainly baggage conveyor belts) in Spain, thereby working towards the airline’s commitment to achieve net zero for its operations by 2025. The project also supports the circular economy, by reusing around 800 tonnes of components.
VINCI Airports is the number-one international contributor to the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme of Airports Council International (ACI), with 53 accredited airports, including four at the topmost level, ACA Level 5 (in France and Portugal). ACA is the only global carbon management certification programme for airports that has been endorsed by international institutions.
Supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy
Low-carbon energy production infrastructure
Renewable energy generation capacity in operation or under construction by Cobra IS
VINCI’s acquisition of Cobra IS in December 2021 has developed the Group’s expertise in the renewable energy market, in both solar and wind power. At the end of 2024, Cobra IS had a renewable energy production portfolio totalling 3.5 GW, including assets in operation and/ or under construction. The company has set the ambitious target to achieve at least 12 GW by 2030. Cobra IS is highly active in Brazil, where 80% of its generation capacity is installed. It also has solar farms under construction in Spain and the United States. Part of Cobra IS’s business is the sale of electricity from renewable sources, mainly through the company Eleia, which sells 200 GWh of green energy in Spain every year.
Cobra IS also builds solar power plants for third parties. In Spain, 16 such projects are under way for Galp. Once completed, the facilities will produce around 2.5 TWh of renewable energy per year, representing the annual consumption of 575,000 homes. Cymi is completing the construction and commissioning of a solar photovoltaic plant that will supply renewable energy to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport, with a total installed capacity of 9.2 MW. Once completed, the plant will cover 16% of the annual consumption of terminals T1, T2 and T3.
VINCI Construction companies are directly involved in building wind farms and storage systems, while more than 50 VINCI Energies companies specialise in delivering solar photovoltaic solutions. At the end of 2024, Omexom (VINCI Energies) participated in installing more than 4 GW of solar power generation capacity.
To put the Group’s land to good use, VINCI Autoroutes installs solar panels on otherwise unused areas along motorways or at any other site, through the Solarvia brand it launched in 2021. The energy produced is directly reinjected into the power grid. In 2024, Solarvia used its expertise in the various solar technologies, ranging from ground-mounted panels to floating farms and solar canopies, to develop more than 420 MWp of solar projects throughout France. VINCI Concessions aims to install 1.2 GWp of renewable energy across its network. SunMind, a VINCI Concessions subsidiary specialising in the development of solar photovoltaic plants and energy storage, has a development portfolio of about 1.4 GWp of solar capacity and 1 GWh of battery energy storage systems (BESS). It operates in France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic and Northern Europe. In 2024, SunMind installed 18.5 MWp of solar capacity and generated 5.3 GWh of energy.