Vodafone agrees 10 year solar PPA with Mytilineos and Centrica

Michael Pullan, Senior Communications Manager

07557 619446

michael.pullan@britishgas.co.uk

Vodafone UK Media Relations Team

T: 01635 693693

E: ukmediarelations@vodafone.com

Vodafone and Centrica have today announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with MYTILINEOS S.A 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 end 2022.

The deal, between Vodafone, Centrica as the energy trading expert and MYTILINEOS’ Renewables & Storage Development Business Unit as the generator, 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.

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% 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, enough to power a town of almost 30,000 households for a year¹; and save around 25,000 tonnes of CO₂e  emissions, the equivalent of taking 14,860 cars a year off the road.  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.

Vodafone’s fixed and mobile networks in the UK connect 16 million people at any one moment. Powering the network accounts for 95% of Vodafone’s total energy usage in the UK and represents the company’s biggest impact on the environment. In 2021, it announced that its mobile and fixed networks, data centres, retail stores and offices were now powered by 100% electricity from renewable sources.

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).

The deal reaffirms Centrica’s expertise in and commitment to supporting the growth of sustainable energy systems across Europe through providing market leading route-to-market services. Trading, optimising and balancing renewable energy is the core of Centrica’s expertise.

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% 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. 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’re 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 as they help companies to decarbonize and reduce their carbon footprint. MYTILINEOS is proud to be in the forefront with Vodafone and Centrica.”