The 2026 Route du Rhum will break new ground before a single boat leaves the dock. For the first time, the entire départ Village in Saint-Malo will run on 100 percent electric power, with no diesel or petrol generators on site.
It is the latest step in the Pacte Durable, the sustainability roadmap OC Sport Pen Duick has been building across several editions of the race. The plan targets cleaner transport options, tighter control of energy and water use, less waste, more recycling, and an end to fossil-fuelled infrastructure at the event.
Stéphane Bourrut Lacouture, OC Sport Pen Duick's head of corporate social responsibility, called the shift significant. "Electrifying our operations is a major challenge in the energy transition needed to meet climate commitments. We are delighted to be able to offer, thanks to the work carried out by the City of Saint-Malo, a 100% electric Village. This concrete achievement is fully in line with our CSR strategy and illustrates the commitments made under the Pacte Durable."
The City of Saint-Malo has done the heavy lifting. Three transformer stations have been built or upgraded, lifting available power capacity on the Village site from 2,500 kVA to 4,000 kVA, enough to run the entire operation off the public grid.
Mayor Gilles Lurton put it plainly: "By powering an event village of this scale without a single generator, the City of Saint-Malo intends to demonstrate what a modernised urban grid can genuinely make possible."
Guadeloupe, the race's finish line and a region acutely exposed to climate change, has echoed that ambition. Ary Chalus, President of the Région Guadeloupe, said the archipelago's natural heritage made the initiative especially meaningful, adding that "from one side of the Atlantic to the other, we must turn this event into a showcase for the transition and preservation of our territories."
EDF joins as Official Supplier for this edition, a first for the race. The company will support electrical operations at both Saint-Malo and Pointe-à-Pitre, where the Village footprint runs to nearly 70,000 square metres, including 10,000 square metres of temporary structures.
Jean-Philippe Berton, EDF's Director of Regional Action in Brittany, described the race as a showcase for decarbonising major events and electrifying mobility, ports and industry alike. Marie-Line Bassette, EDF Archipel Guadeloupe's Regional Director, said the company was proud to back the energy the race brings to the archipelago every four years.
Suzuki Automobile is contributing too, supplying a fleet of 12 electric e VITARA vehicles for organisers, partners, skippers and media throughout the Village's 13 days of operation, managed with help from SNBSM volunteers. Stéphane Magnin, Director of Automotive Activity at Suzuki France, said the fleet reflected the brand's commitment to cleaner, more environmentally responsible mobility.
