The five solar farms will generate a total of 216 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity, every year, saving more than 53,000 tonnes of CO2e.
- Vodafone gets access to clean, high-quality and affordable renewable electricity for 10 years.
- UK-based renewable power sources will fulfil around 44% of Vodafone UK’s annual energy requirements by 2025.
Vodafone has signed its second major corporate solar power purchase agreement (PPA) in the UK. The deal gives Vodafone UK access to clean, high-quality and affordable renewable electricity for the next 10 years, offering price certainty and improved energy security. Combined with agreements already in place, this new solar PPA means around 44% of the company’s annual energy needs will be fulfilled by UK-based renewable power sources by 2025. It is already the case that, of the grid electricity used by Vodafone in the UK, 100% is from certified renewable sources.
The five solar farms, located in Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire and Dorset, will generate a total of 216GWh of electricity and displace more than 53,000 tonnes of CO2e every year, the equivalent of taking around 31,400 cars off the road. Construction will begin this year; energy generation is expected from early 2024.
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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. The remainder will be sold through Centrica’s Energy Marketing & Trading business.
The deal, between Vodafone, Centrica as the power supplier, and MYTILINEOS as the generator, supports the UK government’s ambition to focus on home-grown, clean and more affordable energy. This will ultimately boost long-term energy independence and security.
Power Purchase Agreements are key to Vodafone’s renewable energy procurement strategy. This development follows an announcement last year to purchase a significant proportion of power from three new UK solar farms for the supply of 109GWh of renewable electricity. The first of these is now fully operational, with the others to follow in the coming months. Combined with two onshore wind farms, in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, Vodafone UK has secured access to renewable power from 10 sites across the UK.
Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone, said: “The energy crisis has highlighted we must work together – as governments, businesses and society – to change how we produce and consume energy. Today’s announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK.
“I’m pleased Vodafone is helping to progress the development of new renewable power sites and supporting the delivery of green energy to the UK grid. Importantly, this also gives Vodafone UK improved energy security and price certainty and will help us achieve net zero for our UK operations by 2027”.
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Continued Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Centrica, said: “Power purchase agreements such as this are going to be essential to the growth of renewable energy in the UK and Europe, helping secure guaranteed returns for developers, and encouraging growth in the sector. They are also key for helping large companies like Vodafone decarbonise its operations. We’re delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with Vodafone and support its net zero journey.”
Yiannis Kalafatas, Chief Executive Director of MYTILINEOS’ Energy Sector, stated: “We are excited about this second transaction with Vodafone, as this demonstrates our capability to support renewable energy and energy independence in the UK. We are also proud of being able to achieve such a milestone – both as a developer and a generator – by signing the biggest solar corporate PPA deal in the UK to date.”
Vodafone UK has made significant progress on its net zero and environmental agenda over the course of 2022, including:
Vodafone is committed to cutting carbon emissions, cutting electronic waste and helping its customers to do the same.
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About Centrica
Centrica is a leading international energy services and solutions provider, founded on a 200-year heritage of serving people.
Energy Marketing and Trading is the trading and optimisation arm of Centrica plc. We are a leading provider of energy management and optimisation services to businesses, in addition to managing commodity risk and providing wholesale market access for the Centrica Group. We have 15.6GW of capacity under contract in Europe, more than 80% of which is renewable assets.
About MYTILINEOS
MYTILINEOS Energy & Metals, founded in Greece in 1990, is an industrial and energy multinational company, listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, with a consolidated turnover of €6.3 billion and EBITDA of €823 million and employs more than 4,820 direct and indirect employees in Greece and abroad. Through the Energy Sector, the company is strategically positioned at the forefront of the energy transition as an integrated “green” utility, while through the Metallurgy Sector the Company is establishing as a benchmark for competitive “green” metallurgy in the European landscape. Focused on sustainability, it has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and achieve by 2050 net zero carbon footprint in all its operations in accordance with ESG criteria for Environment, Society and Governance. www.mytilineos.gr | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn
