Vodafone and Centrica have announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with MYTILINEOS for the output from three solar farms under construction in England, with a total capacity of 110MW.
The 10-year agreement for power generated from the solar farms, in Lincolnshire, Worcestershire, and Nottinghamshire, secures clean energy and supports Vodafone’s ambition to achieve net-zero UK operations by 2027. Vodafone will purchase a significant proportion of the electricity output from the solar farms, securing their development and bringing additional renewable power provision to the UK grid. Energy generation is expected to begin by the end of 2022.
Power Purchase Agreements are key to Vodafone’s renewable energy procurement strategy. This is the second such agreement, and follows the development of two onshore wind farms, in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, which together supply 75-gigawatt hours of renewable electricity per year. Combined, these assets will provide more than 20 per cent of Vodafone UK’s annual energy requirement and guarantee it access to long-term, high-quality renewable electricity supplies.
When fully operational, the solar farms are expected to supply more than 100-gigawatt hours of renewable electricity annually and save around 25,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions. Approximately 55GWh of green electricity will be dedicated to Vodafone UK, with the remainder being sold to balancing and merchant power markets through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business.
Building on the longstanding customer relationship between Vodafone and Centrica, the agreement will help Vodafone effectively price hedge their energy supply needs whilst achieving sustainability benefits from carbon savings recorded against Vodafone’s Science Based Targets (SBTi).
Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone, said: “Achieving our ambitious net-zero targets is a critical part of our company strategy. Already, our entire business in the UK and Europe is powered by 100 pre cent renewable electricity. This announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK. I’m delighted Vodafone is helping to progress the development of new renewable power sites and supporting the delivery of more green energy to the UK grid.”
Cassim Mangerah, Managing Director of Centrica Energy Marketing and Trading, said: “Building on our longstanding customer relationship with Vodafone, this deal further underlines our reputation as a leading player in the European energy markets. Through helping companies like Vodafone deliver on their green procurement strategies, we are pushing the green transition forward through supporting the development, management, and optimisation of new renewable energy assets.”
Nikos Papapetrou, General Manager of the RSD Business Unit of MYTILINEOS said: “We are excited about this transaction with Vodafone, as this is yet another important milestone in our development strategy in Europe. Corporate PPAs are a fundamental instrument and they help companies to decarbonise and reduce their carbon footprint. MYTILINEOS is proud to be in the forefront with Vodafone and Centrica.”
