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solutions, to innovate on a local level, and to guarantee a competitive and more efficient service. For example, Dalkia has developed dedicated tools for its heating and cooling energy networks. This approach helps to better forecast and satisfy clients’ energy needs. The AI tools serve to optimise District Cooling equipment, to generate savings and to increase the lifetime of the equipment.

YOUR REFERENCE TO AI SEEMS TO INDICATES THAT DIGITAL SOLUTIONS ARE AT THE HEART OF THE R&D FOCUS AND ARE AT THE CORE OF WHAT YOU ARE OFFERING TO CLIENTS. HOW DOES DIGITALISATION HELP IN CONTROLLING CLIMATE CHANGE?

Lemoine: Digitalisation and innovation are no longer options but are indispensable to the fight against climate change. And clients, in turn, are clearly looking for more and more digitalisation services.

Climate change mitigation and energy transition are part of EDF Group’s purpose to build a net-zero-energy future with electricity and innovative solutions and services, to help save the planet and to drive wellbeing and economic development.

For Dalkia, addressing climate change is based on two levers: Energy efficiency and energy decarbonisation. Digital technology and its applications are key factors for improving energy efficiency. Dalkia’s digital solutions –software, platforms, applications and digital processes – are offering clients an innovative way to reduce their consumption and to decarbonise their assets. In line with EDF’s raison d’être, Dalkia implements innovative digital services, adapted to different players and at different scales, coordinated and consistent with its “CAP2030” strategy to become carbon-neutral.

Clients are at the centre of Dalkia’s services. For answering their needs in real-time information and reporting, Dalkia has created the Dalkia Energy Services Centre (DESC).

The DESC is a platform combining human expertise, methods and digital advanced tools. The first DESC was established in Europe 10 years ago. It was designed as an energy-monitoring tool for buildings and for District Heating and District Cooling networks. It aims to reduce the lifecycle cost of equipment – thus optimising activities and reducing associated energy and maintenance costs.

The digital platform was built using different digital tools and through relying on the expertise of in-house engineers. To support the ambitious energy-transition programmes driven by the countries of the GCC region, Dalkia Middle East launched its first DESC in the region a few years ago. Designed as a tool integrating new digital innovations, the Middle East DESC also integrates 3D models – or digital twins – of District Cooling networks with the objective of conducting maintenance, including preventive maintenance.

The DESC helps Dalkia technicians, operators and engineers to reach higher efficiency in the day-to-day activities with the aim of providing the best services to clients. Dalkia is eager to multiply the implementation of this tool within the operations side of the clients’ setup.