Troyes, October 2025 - The startup Epyr and the WEPA Group announce the construction of the first decarbonized thermal energy storage unit in France, dedicated to the electrification of industrial heat at WEPA’s Troyes site.
It is a national first: a breakthrough innovation that decarbonizes heat, reduces dependence on fossil fuels and boosts the competitiveness and resilience of European industry.
Making the energy transition an economic and strategic asset
Less than a year after its creation, Epyr, a specialist in the electrification of industrial heat, is installing at WEPA’s Troyes site the first industrial thermal storage unit, designed to replace part of the plant’s gas consumption. This pioneering installation will be operational in the coming months.
Epyr’s technology makes it possible to generate heat from low-carbon electricity, store it in innovative thermal storage units, and release it as needed by the industrial site. In a context where the rise of intermittent renewable energy creates more frequent electricity surpluses during sunny or windy periods, Epyr’s solution captures this low-cost green electricity and converts it into decarbonized, competitive heat. It thus provides a concrete response to industrial competitiveness and resilience challenges, while also offering the power system a new flexibility tool that helps balance supply and demand.
A strategic industrial partnership between two committed players
The partnership between Epyr and WEPA strengthens already established ties, with WEPA Ventures, the Family VC of WEPA Group, among the first investors of Epyr. It reflects mutual trust and a shared long-term commitment to accelerate industrial decarbonization. By combining the agility of a technology startup with the commitment of a pioneering industrial player in sustainability, this collaboration demonstrates the ability of the European ecosystem to foster concrete, competitive, and sovereign solutions.
Major potential for industry
This installation represents a major step forward in the electrification of industrial heat. In Europe, heat accounts for 15% of total energy consumption and remains 75% dependent on fossil fuels. Epyr’s solution, designed for medium- and high-temperature heat needs, addresses a market estimated at over €25 billion, with direct applications in three key sectors: paper, chemicals, and agri-food. Building on this first reference project, Epyr is already in discussions with several industrial players to scale up deployment.
“With the Epyr solution, we implement an innovative technology that, in line with our strategic priorities, allows us to reduce our emissions while strengthening our competitiveness,” said François Roposte, Mill Manager Troyes.
“We are very pleased to see this industrial partnership come to life at an impressive speed. We are convinced that Epyr’s thermal energy storage solution has immense potential. We strongly believe in their innovative approach to decarbonizing industrial heat,” added Tim Carstens, Excellence Project Manager and responsible sponsor of the project.
“This first unit is a decisive step to prove that thermal energy storage can be both competitive and deployed at scale. Alongside WEPA, a recognized leader in innovation, we are rapidly transforming our concept into an operational solution capable of demonstrating its full relevance and potential,” concluded Léa Dardenne and Bastien Oggeri, Co-founders of Epyr.
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About Epyr
Epyr develops innovative thermal storage solutions to help industries move away from fossil fuels. By making high temperature, decarbonized industrial heat both competitive and easy to deploy, Epyr aims to accelerate the energy transition and reduce global emissions.
Founded in 2024 by Bastien Oggeri, entrepreneur and co-founder of Innovafeed (member of the French Tech Next40), and Léa Dardenne, former partner at Boston Consulting Group specializing in energy and climate, Epyr now has around fifteen employees. The team brings together strong expertise in technology, energy, industry, and entrepreneurship, all serving the electrification of industrial heat.
About WEPA
The WEPA Group is a future-oriented European family business specialising in the production and distribution of sustainable hygiene paper. WEPA offers sustainable and innovative hygiene solutions that provide a safe feeling of hygiene and contribute daily to the well-being of millions of people. With approximately 4,300 employees, the WEPA Group manufactures hygiene products such as toilet paper, paper towels, tissues and napkins at 14 European sites.
WEPA is among the three largest European manufacturers and is an expert in the production of hygiene paper from recycled fibre. Its annual turnover is roughly 1.8 billion euros. In the Consumer business area, WEPA is a private-label specialist for European retailers. The Professional business unit with the brands BlackSatino and Satino by WEPA stands for sustainable and professional hygiene solutions which are used, for instance, in public washrooms, the industry, offices or health care facilities. The WEPA Group has its registered office in Arnsberg, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany.
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