CGI—a Salesforce partner—has been working with GRDF since 2021 to maintain the application that tracks 600,000 potential biomethane producers, contributing to the development of a more sustainable gas industry in France.

Biomethane is a 100% renewable gas produced from biowaste from the agri-food industry, collective catering, agricultural and household waste and sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Purified biogas has the same properties as fossil natural gas but emits 80% less greenhouse gases (GHGs). Injected directly into the distribution networks, biomethane is an essential enabler of the energy transition.

Aiming for 100% renewable gas by 2050

Today in France, 592 sites inject biomethane into all the distribution networks combined. This includes the 495 sites operated by GRDF, the main gas distributor in France. In 2022, the volume of biomethane injected was close to 7 TWh – equivalent to the production of a nuclear unit over an entire year or to the gas consumption of over 2 million homes.

Based on the 2017-2035 gas balance forecast*, GRDF aims to achieve 30% renewable gas in the French distribution network by 2030 and 100% by 2050. This ambitious goal requires the development of a large number of methanation projects to meet gas demand.

Implementing a customized Salesforce CRM to prepare for the future

Since 2019, having been tasked with developing and driving the biomethane industry, GRDF has implemented a customized version of Salesforce CRM named "Bioleads", allowing the company to centralize, qualify and track the 600,000 potential biomethane producers. Although stable, this application requires specific, one-off developments to consider the emerging needs of the biomethane industry, which is constantly transforming.

In 2021, GRDF chose CGI to support the maintenance of Bioleads. More than 50 changes have already been implemented, enabling, for example, the integration of marketing campaigns and interface improvements for better compatibility with GRDF's other digital applications.

The project is supported by the proven expertise of the Salesforce division of CGI's Digital Innovation Center, its 115 experts and their nearly 80 certifications: the teams' know-how and adaptability in the face of peak and off-peak workloads have ensured GRDF's complete satisfaction, leading to the contract being renewed until 2024.

A long-standing relationship

Since 2019, CGI Business Consulting experts have supported GRDF's biomethane teams through various projects to optimize the tools and the business performance, improve user experience and maximize the satisfaction of clients producing biomethane, such as defining the master plan for biomethane applications, upgrading biomethane data and providing on project management expertise for drafting the application specifications and monitoring both biomethane project participants and 500 biomethane injector producers.

Together, CGI and GRDF are sharing and pursuing the goal of developing a more sustainable gas industry and are actively and concretely contributing to France's energy transition.

"CGI's actions, particularly the responsiveness of its teams, are essential to the success and sustainability of our marketing initiatives. Our needs are constantly evolving, requiring us to continually adjust, adapt, create and develop new functionalities. Our CGI contacts are well-aware of this and always do their utmost to help us, while also providing training to make us as autonomous as possible in applying the new features.”

Marion Verspieren, Head of Marketing and Biomethane Customer Relations at GRDF

*in French