Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology: bioreactors and fermentation
Biomanufacturers, ensure the reliability of your culture energy
Tank thermoregulation, agitation, sterile aeration, steam-in-place sterilization, and water for injection: a bioproduction unit requires constant electricity, gas, and steam. Sirenergies optimizes the energy used by your bioreactors and fermentation processes, based on your own measurements.
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Key industry figures
Pharmaceutical energy: available benchmarks for bioproduction
There are no reliable public ratios linking energy to liters of culture. Available benchmarks cover the entire pharmaceutical industry; they provide an order of magnitude, not your actual profile.
Ktoe of energy consumed in 2024 by the French pharmaceutical industry, all energy sources combined.
Increase in the average energy price paid by the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors between 2019 and 2024.
Share of gas in the energy consumed in 2024 by the French pharmaceutical industry.
The energy profile of a bioreactor and fermentation unit
Thermoregulation, sterile air, and utilities: the energy of a bioproduction unit
The reality: utilities working for the culture
A bioreactor consumes little on its own; it is the utilities that carry the weight: chilled and hot water for thermoregulation, sterile air compressors, steam for sterilization-in-place, production of water for injection, and zone air treatment. Gas produces the steam, and electricity does the rest. In 2024, the pharmaceutical industry also purchased 51 ktoe of steam from networks or third parties (Insee, June 2026).
Our role: building your benchmark, then managing it
Culture parameters and process validation remain the responsibility of your teams. Without a public ratio per liter, Sirenergies starts with your meters and campaigns, and advises your management on three levers:
- a consumption benchmark per utility, built with your sub-metering and tracked daily in Pilott;
- electricity and gas procurement prepared with you, with guarantees of origin if your group requires them;
- reviewed subscribed power, TURPE (public electricity network usage tariff) options, and ATRD (third-party access to gas distribution networks) capacity.
Your energy challenges
The 3 energy challenges for bioreactor and fermentation units
Utilities that run even between campaigns, decarbonization targets set by the group, and no public benchmarks for comparison: these are three challenges well known to any bioproduction site technical manager. Sirenergies addresses them through measurement, procurement, and support for guarantees of origin.
Uninterrupted power supply
A bioreactor cannot tolerate any power interruption without risking the loss of an entire production batch, which necessitates strict electrical redundancy.
Securing your energy contract
Sirenergies structures an energy contract tailored to this requirement for continuity, complementing your technical redundancy.
Precision thermal regulation with limited contractual oversight
Fine-tuned thermal regulation of bioreactors impacts site energy consumption, yet this cost is not always tracked independently from the rest of the utility bill.
Energy audit and management via Pilott
Sirenergies analyzes your load profiles and alerts you in real time to any deviations, allowing you to quantify this expense without ever compromising your process continuity.
Biotech segment underserved by brokers
The biotech segment is not served by generalist energy brokers, despite continuity requirements that would justify dedicated support.
Procurement and supplier tendering
Sirenergies puts our trusted partner suppliers in competition to secure a contract tailored to the absolute continuity of your site.
Contractual and data expertise
Optimizing and managing your bioproduction unit contracts
From chilled water units to the boiler producing sterilization steam, Sirenergies supports you with the electricity and gas needs of your fermentation units. Your teams manage the cultures; our consultants handle the contracts, distribution, and measurement.
Contractual and capacity audit
Reviewing your electricity and gas contracts and their deadlines, comparing your subscribed power and daily gas capacity against your campaigns, performing annual excise tax analysis, and identifying energy savings certificates (CEE) for refrigeration and compressed air.
Purchasing strategy and competitive bidding
Consulting our partner suppliers on a continuous profile, performing multi-criteria analysis of offers, preparing negotiations alongside you, integrating guarantees of origin where applicable, and executing the price fixings you decide upon under mandate.
Distribution optimization (TURPE / ATRD)
Electricity: TURPE options and power levels by period aligned with continuously running utilities, in HTA or HTB. Gas: ATRD options and daily capacity adjusted for steam production. Procedures managed with network operators.
Tariff modeling for biotech utilities
Budget simulated by utility and by campaign, comparison of hedging strategies, costing for a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) or self-consumption, and the impact on the carbon footprint tracked in Pilott.
Pilott software platform
Consumption data at D+1 by sub-metered utility, price alerts for electricity and gas, budget forecasting, centralized contracts, and carbon footprint tracking, with CSV export or API integration for your reporting tools.
Expert consulting dedicated to bioproduction
A dedicated consultant tracks your markets, deadlines, and relevant regulations (excise taxes, guarantees of origin, capacity mechanisms), and works with you to build energy cost and carbon indicators per campaign.
Our platform
Pilott, simplified management to track your consumption
- Consolidate the meters for your utilities and production zones
- Track consumption between campaigns at D+1
- Get alerted when electricity reaches your price threshold
- Track your carbon footprint and contracts on a single platform
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Methodology and definitions
What is energy consulting for bioreactors and fermentation?
A bioproduction site must ensure the continuity of its utilities and reduce its carbon footprint, often under group oversight. Energy consulting involves building a consumption baseline by utility, supporting electricity and gas procurement, and choosing with you between guarantees of origin, Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), and Biomethane Purchase Agreements (BPA). At Sirenergies, our consultants and the Pilott platform handle this tracking together.
The context
In 2024, the energy bill for French industry reached 17.3 billion euros, excluding raw materials, 1.5 times its 2019 level (Insee Première No. 2095, February 2026). For a bioproduction site, the question is no longer just price, but also the origin of the energy purchased.
- Measure: a baseline per utility, in the absence of public benchmarks per liter.
- Green: guarantees of origin, PPAs, or BPAs compared based on your volumes.
- Distribute: subscribed power and daily gas capacity reviewed annually based on your production cycles.
How much energy do your utilities consume between fermentation cycles?
Your invoices, sub-metering data, and a year of load profiles are all we need to calculate it. No obligation.
