Safran unveils new electrical engineering centre of excellence

Safran Electrical & Power has revealed its new electrical engineering centre in Créteil, France. The centre was unveiled by Ross McInnes, Safran chairman of the board, Olivier Andriès, Safran CEO, and Clément Beaune, the French minister for transport.

The 6,400-m² site brings together Safran’s design and engineering functions for electric and hybrid propulsion, power electronics, electrical distribution and conversion, which were previously spread across several sites. There will be 430 employees on the site.

The new engineering centre is “at the heart” of the design of Safran’s electrical systems. The teams define primary and secondary electrical distribution solutions for transporting and managing electricity from generator to load.

Stéphane Cueille, Safran, CEO said: “We are proud to unveil this new centre of expertise where we develop the electric propulsion systems that will soon equip small planes for tourism and for pilot training before being extended to regional commercial aircraft and ultimately to hybridise the new generation of thermal engines. Our teams are highly motivated by the idea of decarbonising aviation through breakthrough electric technologies.”

The ePower product line is also designed at the Créteil site. These products are for future 100% electric and hybrid aircraft and cover the entire electrical system.

Olivier Andriès, Safran, CEO said: “Making planes electric and hybrid is one of the key elements of Safran’s strategy for decarbonising aviation. Safran is also developing breakthrough propulsion architecture, driving the uptake of sustainable aviation fuel and reducing weight across all equipment. Together, all these initiatives will help achieve carbon neutral aviation in 2050.”