Project acceptability: how Teréga involves its territories at every step

Launching an energy infrastructure project is not just about obtaining administrative authorization. In a context where public demands are intensifying and where the NIMBY ("Not In My BackYard") syndrome can derail even the best-intentioned projects, acceptability has become a sine qua non condition. For Teréga, this is a long-standing conviction: from initial route studies to post-construction monitoring programs, through public consultations and direct discussions with local residents, elected officials, and economic players, the Group has widespread the implementation of an acceptability system based on several levers, adapted to the nature and scale of each project. Because a successful project is one that embraces information sharing with all its stakeholders from the very start.

Acceptability does not begin when machinery arrives on site. It is built well upstream, from the identification phase of project-related challenges. Teréga has made regional dialogue a priority, even before launching formal studies: discussions with local authorities, CCIs, energy unions, chambers of agriculture, local associations, and more. The objective is manifold: identify local challenges early on, anticipate points of friction, understand local economic dynamics, promote local hiring, and thus generate socio-economic benefits during—and after—construction work.

For example, for the REVA project (Renewing the Villariès-Albi pipeline), this dialogue began several years before the official launch of the public consultation in 2022. 

For BarMar, the project promoters (Teréga, NaTran, Enagás) initiated preliminary discussions with the relevant ministries, port authorities, and offshore wind development stakeholders well before referral to the CNDP (National Commission for Public Debate). This early preparation is not trivial: it conditions the quality of everything that follows.

For major projects that justify it—either due to their nature and scale, or because Teréga chooses to use it voluntarily—prior public consultation under the aegis of the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) represents the most structured mechanism. Designated independent third parties ensure the transparency and fairness of discussions, publishing a final report at the end of the process.

The example of the BarMar project is another case in point: following referral to the CNDP in July 2025 and the designation of three guarantors, the public consultation took place from May 6 to July 12, 2026. 

Twenty-five events and exchange opportunities were organized: public meetings, expert roundtables before a panel of citizens, thematic debate-conferences on marine biodiversity, fishing, and the hydrogen ecosystem in Occitanie, guided site visits, debates with high school students, mobile debates in local markets, webinars, and more. 

The consultation made it possible to map marine uses within the study zone, prioritize environmental challenges, formulate proposals for avoidance and compensation measures, while preparing stakeholder involvement in monitoring subsequent phases of the project.

A summary report will soon be delivered by the CNDP guarantors: Teréga will then communicate on these findings, its key learnings, and its commitments to stakeholders.

Projects to renew existing pipelines—designed to guarantee security of supply, modernize the network, or reduce environmental impact—do not fall under the same regulatory requirements. They undergo a specific consultation process, tailored to their own specific challenges.

On the REVA project, which involved modernizing 72 kilometers of pipeline, Teréga organized a voluntary consultation including public meetings and targeted thematic sessions based on the audiences involved. A session dedicated to agricultural challenges was held in Parisot, and another focused on innovation in Albi, with online replays available for those unable to attend in person. These early discussions fed directly into project studies, ensuring a highly precise understanding of local territorial issues.

Teréga's commitment to its territories does not stop with public consultation. During construction, a joint, two-party status report is conducted with every landowner and farmer before and after the work. Right-of-way easement agreements are signed amicably. Crop damage is compensated, and parcels are restored to their original condition.

After commissioning, monitoring is continuous, while the hazard study is updated every five years to adapt to changes in the crossed territories. A Safety and Intervention Plan (PSI) is communicated to public authorities.

Whether it is a subsea hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille or a pipeline renewal in Occitanie or Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the philosophy remains the same: adapt mechanisms to the nature of the project and maintain high standards of dialogue. Acceptability is not an entry ticket obtained once and for all; it is a long-term relationship built with each stakeholder at every stage of the project. 

For Teréga, this is a firm conviction: the projects that reach completion are those that have been co-built with their territories.