Launched in 2019 with the Group’s nuclear division via the entity SNEF Power Services (SPS), the partnership with Ametra Group has strengthened over successive deliverables. Initially focused on electrical engineering for the energy sector, this collaboration now extends—through a new framework agreement—to all activities of SNEF SA across France.
Maintaining the safety of electrical installations in constrained environments
In the energy and defence sectors, the design and maintenance of electrical infrastructure require absolute rigour.
Whether for basic nuclear installations (INB) or strategic industrial sites, contracting authorities face two imperatives: maintaining complex installations in operational condition (MCO) and integrating evolving safety standards.
The SNEF Group draws on more than 120 years of experience to address these challenges. It was on this foundation of requirements that Ametra Group began supporting SPS in 2019, providing specialised industrial electrical support from its Aix-en-Provence office.
Securing the outsourcing of critical technical studies
For a major engineering player such as SNEF, the challenge is not limited to sourcing occasional skills. It is about being able to outsource technical studies in a structured manner. The difficulty lies in transferring an engineering activity (cabinet design, calculation notes, multi-wire schematics) to an external partner while ensuring a level of compliance identical to the internal build-to-spec standards.
An off-site design office committed to deliverables
To meet this need, Ametra set up a technical team capable of handling projects on a fixed-price basis. This organisation makes it possible to move beyond simple staff augmentation and commit to deliverables and specific milestones. In 2023, nearly 28% of the overall activity with SPS was handled directly from Ametra’s Aix-en-Provence design offices.
The support is based on mastery of the sector’s reference standards and tools:
- Industrial electricity: production of multi-wire schematics using SEE Electrical Expert.
- Electrical sizing: use of Caneco for cable cross-section calculation notes and optimisation of high-current distribution networks.
- Mechanical sizing: seismic resistance studies on the RJH project.
- General installation: mechanical and electrical layout studies on power plants in the current nuclear fleet.
Case study: the EDT-Valduc project
The EDT-Valduc project clearly illustrates the complementarity between engineering studies and industrial execution. Ametra contributed to the design of 19 power distribution cabinets for this site near Dijon, incorporating several constraints:
- the sizing of ADEI cabinets (TGBT equivalent), backed-up UPS cabinets, and 48 VDC distribution;
- the selection of special components (surge arresters, I/O modules, insulation monitoring devices).
The resulting technical file then enables manufacturing and integration by one of the Group’s switchboard builders: Protea, based in Pierrelatte.
Technical recognition paving the way for nationwide rollout
The strength of this collaboration with SPS and its subsidiaries has been recognised through two concrete milestones:
- The Strategic Partner Award presented to Ametra in November 2023 by the SNEF Group’s executive management. This distinction reflects a customer satisfaction rate above 90%.
- Extension of the scope to SNEF SA: the framework agreement signed at the end of 2025 now covers all Group entities through to the end of 2027.
This new phase gives Ametra “carte blanche” to offer its expertise to new segments (pharmaceuticals, agri-food, process industry), leveraging the geographic proximity of its national offices, notably in Lyon, Paris and Bordeaux.To learn more about Ametra Group’s expertise and our references, visit our official website. We are also on LinkedIn!
