2025
France
RTE reconstructed the Flandres Maritime substation in northern France with a raised platform to prevent coastal flooding. This measure improves resilience against sea-level rise and storm surges, ensuring the continuity of power supply in a vulnerable coastal area while preparing assets for future climate risks.
Highlights
01
Substation platform raised by 60 cm to withstand coastal floods.
02
Uses climate scenarios (RCP/SSP) and French TRACC tools for the risk assessment.
Main Information
The Flandres Maritime substation, located in Hauts-de-France, was redesigned to adapt to coastal flood risks driven by climate change. The raise of the substation platform provided protection against coastal flooding and sea-level rise. This preventive measure ensures the station’s continued operation in the event of storm surges or extreme tides.
RTE, France’s Transmission System Operator (TSO), integrates future climate projections into the design of new assets. The approach combines data from the French national meteorological service (Meteo France) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, in collaborations with public institutions such as France’s public institute for Earth Science applications (BRGM). Climate scenarios for this process included RCP4.5, SSP4.5, RCP8.5, and SSP8.5, along with the French TRACC tool, guiding the design and implementation of cost-effective resilience measures.
Future adaptation planning includes preventive actions (asset relocation, reinforced foundations, weather-resistant coatings, sensors, and vegetation management) and restorative approaches such as undergrounding infrastructure, avoiding construction in areas prone to climate hazards, and deploying new sensors. Resilience planning considers both asset- and system-levels to ensure continuity of supply.
