RWE has signed a seven-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Co-op Group for the supply of renewable electricity from the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm, the companies said on Tuesday.
Under the agreement, Co-op will receive 33 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean electricity per year — an amount RWE says is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of approximately 140 Co-op food stores or around 12,200 average UK homes. The energy will be used to power Co-op’s UK operations, including retail stores, distribution centres, and funeralcare sites.
“This contract will help Co-op to meet an increasing proportion of its energy needs from renewable sources,” said Olaf Lubenow, head of commodity solutions UK, North and South Europe at RWE Supply & Trading.
Gwynt y Môr is located in the Irish Sea off the coast of North Wales and has a total installed capacity of 576 megawatts (MW) across 160 turbines. The project is jointly owned by RWE, Stadtwerke München, and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group.
The consumer-owned Co-op said the deal supports its wider sustainability strategy, which includes a pledge to reach net zero across its own operations by 2035 and across its entire business and supply chain by 2040.
“At Co-op, we’re delighted to announce this further power purchase agreement signing, as we continue to strengthen our energy purchasing strategy by making impactful changes across our business,” said Heather Thomas, group property and sustainability director at Co-op. “The energy transition is central to energy security and therefore national security too. That’s why we believe that every business should be playing its part to help green the grid.”
Co-op said it is working with RWE to increase renewable energy procurement as part of its efforts to enhance UK energy resilience and accelerate its decarbonisation goals.
