In this series of articles, Le Figaro goes in search of lost millions, wasted on useless or ill-sized projects, at a time when public finances are stretched to the limit.

Above the solar road in Tourouvre-au-Perche (Orne), the Normandy sky looks grey. On this Monday, May 27, 2024, on the Route Départementale 5, the solar panels are peeling off the tarmac between two showers, just 7 years after their installation. On this day, a “experimentation” launched with a bang, and into which millions of euros have been poured, is coming to a quiet end.

Flashback. On December 22, 2016, the weather wasn’t much better. Only Ségolène Royal’s fuchsia pink coat stood out in the wintry Perche landscape. Not enough to discourage the Minister for the Environment in the Cazeneuve governmentwho paraded down the Rue du Général de Gaulle like a model on a catwalk for the fashion week. The clatter of her heels against the photovoltaic paving stones and the crackle of cameras complete the picture. For the occasion, an armada of journalists has swelled the population of Tourouvre-au-Perche, a village of 3,000 inhabitants located some twenty kilometers south of L’Aigle, in the Orne department.