Communications company Vodafone and energy services and solutions provider Centrica signed a 10-year power purchase agreement on Wednesday with Greece-based metallurgy and energy company Mytilineos for power generated from three solar farms in the UK.
The solar farms will supply more than 100 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually and save around 25,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 14,860 cars a year off the road, once fully operational by the end of 2022.
Vodafone will purchase a significant proportion of the electricity output from the solar farms, while Mytilineos will act as the generator and Centrica as the energy trading expert.
Approximately 55 gigawatt-hours 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.
The long-term agreement for power generated from the solar farms in the UK 'secures clean energy and supports Vodafone's ambition to achieve net zero UK operations by 2027,' Vodafone said.
The deal between Vodafone, Centrica and Mytilineos 'supports the UK government's ambition to focus on home-grown, clean and more affordable energy and so boost long-term energy independence and security,' the company said.
'Already, our entire business in the UK and Europe is powered by 100% renewable electricity. Today's announcement ensures a significant proportion of our energy requirement, for at least the next 10 years, is home-grown in the UK,' said Ahmed Essam, UK CEO of Vodafone.
By Zeynep Beyza Kilic
Anadolu Agency
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