• Schneider Electric donated state-of-the-art solutions for energy management and facility security.
• This symbolic act demonstrates Schneider Electric’s ability to mobilize resources for a multi-secular historic monument.
• The success of this project is a result of ingenious solutions used to address logistics and complex constraints encountered on site.

Schneider Electric contributed, by means of donations, to the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The donated solutions have made it possible to secure and monitor the site’s electrical facilities. 

The restoration of Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral was recently aided by donations from Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. The site’s electrical facilities can now be secured and monitored thanks to the donated solutions. Incorporating 21st century technology into a cathedral that marks a pinnacle of medieval art and has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, the monument’s energy consumption may be managed and optimized via the company’s Building Management System (BMS).

The fire that severely damaged the cathedral on April 15, 2019, sparked an incredible wave of solidarity that Schneider Electric wanted to be a part of. “It’s an obvious move for Schneider Electric to support actions of this type for symbolic and prestigious sites, as we have done in the past for the Comédie Française state theater and the Antarctic station,” highlights Gilles Vermot Desroches, Director of Citizenship, and Institutional Affairs at Schneider Electric.

Innovations for the Future

Schneider Electric provided expertise, products, and solutions thanks to a donation agreement. As such, the Group supplied all the equipment required to supply power to the site and for its security (20 kV HV cells, a 20 kV/410V 1250 kVA transformer, general and divisional electrical switchboards, inverters, safety lighting, devices etc.), as well as the tools for the technical management of the building, making it possible to monitor the functioning of the network and control its power consumption (automatic control systems, sensors, controllers, communication buses etc.).

In addition to the equipment, Schneider Electric is carrying out some of the maintenance of the electrical distribution equipment, providing some of the engineering, studies, commissioning, and programming of the installed systems, as well as the training of future users.

The old electrical installation was inoperable due to the fire and without electricity, reopening was impossible. The new network ensures the distribution and security of the energy supply, incorporating innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies that optimize the management of its electricity consumption and help ensure the safety of the cathedral.

A Shared Commitment

The project team had to deal with a large number of technical issues demanding ingenuity and preparation.

One such issue was the delivery and installation in early 2024 of the connected TRIHAL transformer, a key element of the cathedral’s power supply. Delivered by truck and then raised onto the site above the construction area, this 3.2-ton block was then lowered via a hoist into position in the basement of the presbytery. A specific study had to be carried out for the lifting operation.

Installing the high-voltage substation in an underground vaulted cellar with considerable access and space constraints was also an issue resolved with customized equipment and support.

“This is a project for which the logistics have been quite tricky and required excellent coordination with the other players on site,” said Cédric Larcher, Regional Manager of the Electrical Distribution Application Center at Schneider Electric France, responsible for management, performance, and monitoring on site.

Around 60 Schneider Electric workers—from factory workers to the site’s network designers—contributed knowledge and skills as part of a skills transfer program in addition to providing infrastructure. As part of its assistance, Schneider Electric also trained partner companies, including the Val-de-Marne-based panel builder Ateliers Electriques de France to install the main low-voltage cabinet, the Seine-Maritime-based FBS Electricité to install the high-voltage substation, the Eure-based ERM to create specific support structures, and the Val-de-Marne-based Transport Avex to perform the incredibly complex handling operations in the presbytery basement. Visit this website to find out more.

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