Innova has secured a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Welsh Water to supply renewable energy to Dwr Cymru's Five Fords sewage treatment works. The PPA will see the site powered by locally sourced electricity generated from Innova's Wrexham and Cefn solar farms over the next 40 years.
The Wrexham Solar Park was granted planning consent in November 2022, followed by Cefn Park, which received approval in March 2023. Construction is expected to begin soon, with both sites together having a total project capacity of 15MW. Some of this energy will be used to power the Five Fords facility, while excess electricity will be directed to other Dwr Cymru sites.
As part of the agreement, Dwr Cymru will also upgrade the internal grid infrastructure at Five Fords to enhance the reliability of the power supply.
Andrew Peyman, Head of Energy Sales at Innova, highlighted the significance of the agreement, stating: “This PPA is a fantastic achievement for Innova and Dwr Cymru and is the culmination of a great team effort between the companies. The PPA will not only provide Dwr Cymru with supply of locally sourced renewable electricity and long-term price certainty, but the agreement ensures that Innova will be able to secure suitable funding for the construction of the Wrexham and Cefn projects.
Andrew Dixon, Head of Energy Efficiency at Dwr Cymru, added: “This Power Purchase Agreement, and subsequent renewable energy developments, will make significant reductions in Welsh Water's net energy costs and carbon emissions. The generation will be equivalent to around 3% of Welsh Water's annual electricity use – or around 4,500 homes. This project is a key milestone for our journey to net zero carbon emissions, and we look forward to working with Innova during project construction.
