The French government's 63 pre-qualified AI data center sites are now known to every hyperscaler, infrastructure fund and developer in Europe. They appear in CBRE reports, JLL presentations and Business France pitch decks. They are not a competitive advantage.
What follows is different: a proprietary database of former French industrial sites with existing high-voltage infrastructure that have never been systematically marketed to AI data center developers in English. These sites were built for industries that consumed 10 to 200 MW of electricity — and the grid connections they required are still there.
Source 2: Cartofriches (CEREMA) — 14,300+ characterised brownfield sites
Source 3: RTE network map — HV lines 63kV, 90kV, 225kV, 400kV
Source 4: Local development agency contacts — site availability confirmation
Filter: former industrial sites within 5km of 63kV+ RTE infrastructure
Key insight: no one has crossed these sources specifically for AI data center targeting
CATEGORY 1 — FORMER ALUMINUM SMELTERS (PECHINEY / RIO TINTO ALCAN LEGACY)
Aluminum electrolysis requires more electricity per unit of output than almost any other industrial process — 13,000 to 16,000 kWh per tonne of aluminum produced. French Pechiney smelters consumed 50 to 200 MW each. Every site had a dedicated RTE high-voltage connection. When they closed, the connections remained.
Critical note: several Pechiney sites (Noguères, Lannemezan) have been partially demolished. The HV infrastructure status must be verified site by site. Sites in the French Alps and Pyrenees may have connectivity challenges that urban/industrial zone sites do not.
Lannemezan (Hautes-Pyrénées, 65): closed 2005, Pechiney/Alcan legacy, Hautes-Pyrénées location
L'Argentière-la-Bessée (Hautes-Alpes, 05): closed 1988, partial industrial reconversion underway
Livet-et-Gavet / Rioupéroux (Isère, 38): closed 1990s, Alpine location near Grenoble tech hub
Venthon (Savoie, 73): small site, closed 1983
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie, 73): STILL ACTIVE (Trimet) — potential expansion partner
Dunkerque (Nord, 59): Pechiney/Alcan opened 1991 — port location, nuclear proximity
Assessment: Dunkerque and Lacq basin (Noguères) strongest candidates for AI data center conversion
CATEGORY 2 — EDF BROWNFIELD PROGRAMME (ANNOUNCED + UNANNOUNCED)
EDF has committed to recycling its former industrial portfolio into data center infrastructure. The announced sites (Loire-sur-Rhône, Moselle, Seine-et-Marne) have partners. The unannounced sites do not — yet.
Maxeville / Emile Huchet (Moselle, 57): contracts signed (OpCore, Eclairion) — TAKEN
Seine-et-Marne (77): contracts signed — TAKEN
Cordemais (Loire-Atlantique, 44): coal plant closure planned 2026–2027 — UPCOMING OPPORTUNITY
Le Havre Havre (Seine-Maritime, 76): former SNET thermal, coastal location
Gardanne (Bouches-du-Rhône, 13): former coal plant, Provence location, near Marseille
Montereau (Seine-et-Marne, 77): former fuel oil plant on Seine river — cooling water available
Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne, 94): former EDF thermal — suburban Paris location
Key contact: EDF Développement Durable / EDF Foncier — appels à manifestation d'intérêt
CATEGORY 3 — FORMER STEEL AND METALLURGY SITES
The Lorraine steel belt and Nord industrial corridor contain France's largest concentration of former heavy industry sites. A major discovery in this research: Data4 has just announced a project on the former Usinor site at Escaudain (Hauts-de-France) — 38 hectares, first service from 2030. This validates the category. Similar sites in the same region remain available.
Florange (Moselle, 57): former ArcelorMittal blast furnaces, large site, Lorraine
Gandrange (Moselle, 57): former Arcelor steel, cleared land
Thionville corridor (Moselle, 57): multiple former steel sites, RTE infrastructure dense
Pompey (Meurthe-et-Moselle, 54): former steel rolling mills, Moselle river location
Montereau-Fault-Yonne (Seine-et-Marne, 77): former Vallourec/Mannesmann tubes
Aulnoye-Aymeries (Nord, 59): former Vallourec, near Belgian border, good grid
Regional contact: ADIRA Grand Est · Hauts-de-France Invest & Expand
CATEGORY 4 — FORMER CHEMICAL INDUSTRY SITES
Chemical plants are among the most grid-intensive industrial facilities outside of metals production. The Lacq basin (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is particularly significant: over 200 hectares of former industrial land available after the closure of Pechiney (1991), Celanese (2009) and Yara (2018). The local authority has been actively seeking new industrial uses and has existing RTE infrastructure from the gas-to-electricity conversion era.
Carling / Saint-Avold (Moselle, 57): former Total Petrochemicals, large industrial site, RTE dense Moselle
Feyzin (Rhône, 69): former Total refinery adjacent, south Lyon corridor
Saint-Auban (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 04): former electrolysis (now Arkema) — partial availability
Pont-de-Claix (Isère, 38): former chemical complex near Grenoble
Salindres (Gard, 30): Pechiney/Alcan heritage site, southern France
Key contacts: CCLO (Communauté de Communes de Lacq-Orthez) · Hautes-Pyrénées Invest
CATEGORY 5 — FORMER MILITARY BASES AND DGA SITES
Post-Cold War military restructuring left France with dozens of former bases containing industrial-grade electrical infrastructure — radar installations, aircraft maintenance workshops and armament facilities all required dedicated HV connections. Government ownership often simplifies acquisition vs. private brownfield.
Base aérienne 103 Cambrai (Nord, 59): closed 2012, Hauts-de-France location
Base aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey (Meurthe-et-Moselle, 54): partial closure, Grand Est
Former DGA Bourges (Cher, 18): armament research facility, central France
Multiple former OTAN bases, Alsace (Bas-Rhin, 67): cross-border connectivity
Key contact: France Domaine (state property agency) · local prefectures
CATEGORY 6 — FORMER PAPER MILLS
Paper production is highly electricity-intensive — large mills consumed 20 to 80 MW. Normandie and Alsace have the highest concentration of former paper industry sites in France, often with existing 63kV connections.
Stracel (Bas-Rhin, 67): former Strasbourg paper mill, Rhine river, Alsace
Schweitzer / Munster (Haut-Rhin, 68): former specialty paper, Alsace valleys
Chapelle Darblay / Grand-Couronne (Seine-Maritime, 76): former UPM, near Rouen port
Darblay / Corbeil-Essonnes (Essonne, 91): suburban Paris, Seine river — high connectivity
Note: Alizay (Eure) is a confirmed priority — former IP mill, large site, Normandie fiber hub nearby
CATEGORY 7 — FORMER AUTOMOTIVE PLANTS
Large automotive factories — particularly first-generation assembly plants built in the 1960s-1970s — have significant electrical infrastructure and available land. The Renault Flins reconversion program is particularly advanced.
La Janais / PSA Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine, 35): Safran taking part — REMAINING LAND still available, 100+ ha
Former PSA Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis, 93): suburban Paris, redevelopment ongoing — data center potential for remaining parcels
Renault Le Mans (Sarthe, 72): foundry and mechanical operations, large industrial site
Former GM / Vauxhall Luton equivalent: Ford Blanquefort (Gironde, 33): closed 2019, near Bordeaux
Note: Flins is most advanced — Renault RE-FACTORY program seeking industrial partners for vacated sections
HIGHEST PRIORITY CANDIDATES — GRIDREADINESS ASSESSMENT
Based on the combination of confirmed HV infrastructure, available land, no competing committed project, and regional development agency support, GridReadiness rates the following as highest priority for immediate investigation:
2. Alizay / Chapelle Darblay (27): large former paper mill, Normandie, fiber connectivity
3. Cordemais (44): EDF thermal closing 2026–2027 — first-mover window opening
4. Escaudain-adjacent sites (59): Data4 confirms the category — neighbouring sites still available
5. Loire-sur-Rhône (38): EDF AMI open — no committed partner announced as of May 2026
7. Florange (57): former ArcelorMittal, Lorraine industrial corridor
8. Dunkerque Pechiney/Alcan adjacent (59): port access + nuclear proximity
9. BA128 Metz-Frescaty (57): military brownfield, government ownership
10. Ford Blanquefort (33): automotive brownfield, near Bordeaux, SW France
HOW TO ACCESS THIS DATABASE
The full GridReadiness site database — including confirmed HV connection specifications, current ownership details, development agency contact names, and availability status — is available exclusively to GridReadiness clients as part of:
- The Full Grid Risk Audit — includes site shortlist matched to your specific power requirement and commissioning window
- The France Site + Equipment Sourcing service — full database access with direct introductions to site owners and regional development agencies
For developers who have exhausted the government's 63-site list and need options that are not already being pursued by Equinix, Microsoft and Nebius simultaneously — this is the intelligence layer that matters.
This database is updated quarterly. Sites change status rapidly as France's data center buildout accelerates. Availability confirmed as of May 2026.