Mini Green Power (MGP), a Var-based SME and a leader in the conversion of waste into low-carbon energy, has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Suez RV France in the Paris Commercial Court. With its industrial demonstrator in Narbonne 90% complete, the sudden and disputed termination of its partnership by the environmental giant now threatens the survival of the SME, its 38 patents, and 25 highly skilled jobs. Forced to take its partner to court, the company is now warning of the human, industrial, and economic consequences of this situation. Mini Green Power indicates, however, that it is still seeking an amicable resolution.
A Contested Termination at a Decisive Moment
Mini Green Power is a French SME whose business is based on proprietary technology for converting waste into low-carbon energy, protected by 38 patents and the result of twelve years of research and development.
In July 2024, following discussions that began the previous year, the company signed a contract with Suez for the construction of a demonstration plant at the Narbonne site. In October 2024, an exclusive commercial partnership agreement was signed, providing for, among other things, exclusivity within a defined area, a royalty tied to the validation of the demonstration plant, and a minimum purchase commitment for five mini-power plants, representing projected revenue of 50 million euros.
The demonstration plant has been delivered and is approximately 90% complete.
On November 14, 2025, Suez notified Mini Green Power of the termination of the demonstration contract, effective November 22, 2025. Mini Green Power is contesting this termination. This termination has placed the company in serious financial difficulty and forced it to take legal action against Suez. Since then, discussions between the two parties have been suspended for several weeks.
25 jobs directly at risk
Mini Green Power currently employs 25 people. It is these twenty-five jobs—engineers, technicians, and production staff—that the company places at the heart of its alert.
The contested termination, which occurred at an advanced stage of the project, has weakened the company’s entire operational and financial structure. The company, which had suffered a fire in its workshop in September 2023 before being placed in receivership, had rebuilt its growth model around this strategic partnership. The termination it is contesting has called this foundation into question.
A French technology with real value, now undermined
Mini Green Power is not a start-up without assets. The company possesses:
• a validated technology for converting waste into low-carbon energy,
• 38 patents protecting this technology,
• a demonstrator approximately 90% complete,
• a concrete commercial pipeline,
• public funding that can be mobilized.
These assets represent twelve years of work, investment, and industrial development. Their value, according to the company, is real and documented. The question today is whether this value can be preserved.
An issue that goes beyond a mere commercial dispute
The Mini Green Power/Suez case is not merely a dispute between two companies. It raises broader questions of public interest:
France is investing heavily in the energy transition and waste-to-energy. SMEs like Mini Green Power are essential links in this chain: they innovate, file patents, build demonstrators, and create skilled jobs across the country. Their vulnerability raises questions about the conditions under which partnerships between large corporations and innovative SMEs are formed—and under which they can be broken.
Mini Green Power states that it has only one objective: to find a resolution that preserves its jobs, its technological assets, and the future of the project. The company states that it is still seeking an amicable solution, despite the lawsuit filed and the suspension of discussions.
Timeline:
September 2023: Fire at the Mini Green Power workshop; company placed in receivership
2024: Suez expresses interest in Mini Green Power’s technology
July 2024 Signing of a contract for the construction of a demonstration plant at the Suez site in Narbonne
October 2024 Signing of an exclusive commercial partnership agreement (€50 million in projected revenue)
During 2025 Delivery and completion of the Narbonne demonstration plant (≈ 90%)
November 14, 2025 Notification by Suez of the termination of the demonstration plant contract (effective November 22, 2025)
Since late 2025 Mini Green Power contests the termination and sues Suez; discussions suspended, according to the company
Statement by Jean Riondel, founder and CEO of Mini Green Power
“We had staked a decisive part of our growth prospects on this partnership with Suez and on the success of this demonstrator. Eighteen months after signing, we received a termination notice that we are contesting and which we assert has placed us in great difficulty. We had no choice but to take legal action. But what I want people to focus on are the facts: 25 jobs are now at stake. We have validated technology, 38 patents, a nearly completed demonstration plant, and a real commercial pipeline. These assets have value. We have not given up on an amicable solution. But time is running out, and we must now bring this situation to light. »
— Jean Riondel, Founder and CEO, Mini Green Power
Video Resources
▶ Presentation of the Narbonne power plant (3 min) https://youtu.be/4df5qXbYRH4
▶ Presentation of the team and the Narbonne power plant (15 min) https://youtu.be/F9QRquz43LM
April 6, 2026
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