UK’s Biggest Solar Corporate PPA Signed Between Vodafone, Centrica & MYTILINEOS

Telecommunications firm Vodafone and Centrica, international energy services and solutions company, have entered into a second corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). They have joined hands with MYTILINEOS S.A, a leading global industrial and energy company to facilitate the output from five solar farms that are in the works in England. These will cumulatively generate 216 gigawatt hours of green power.

The said solar farms, established in Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire and Dorset, will produce a 216 GWh of electricity cumulatively while displacing over 53,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Work on the projects is set to begin this year while generation of energy is chalked out for early 2024.

“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, ” opined Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Centrica

The agreement will pave the way for Vodafone UK to tap clean, high quality and affordable renewable electricity for the next decade. The deal will also offer better energy security. Vodafone UK already employs grid electricity  from 100% certified renewable sources. The freshly signed PPA would bring close to 44% of its yearly energy needs to be sourced from renewable power sources from the UK by 2025.

“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,” shared Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone

The agreement between the firms with Vodafone and Centrica as power supplier and MYTILINEOS as the generator, will be a shot in the arm for the UK government’s goal to give an impetus to home-grown, clean and more affordable energy.

PPAs have been a crucial step to help propel the telecommunication giant’s renewable energy procurement strategy. Last year, Vodafone had revealed that it was procuring a large part of power from three new UK solar farms. These would help provide 109 GWh of renewable electricity. Vodafone’s energy portfolio entails two onshore wind farms, in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire. Vodafone UK has also gained access to renewable power from ten sites across the UK.

Ahmed Essam, UK CEO, Vodafone, commented, “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.”

Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of Centrica remarked, “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 to how large organisations like Vodafone decarbonise their operations. We’re delighted to build on our longstanding relationship with Vodafone and support them on their net zero journey.”

Yiannis Kalafatas, Chief Executive Director of MYTILINEOS’ Energy Sector concluded, “We are excited about this second transaction with Vodafone, as this demonstrates our capability to support renewable energy and energy independency 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.”