MYTILINEOS, Vodafone and Centrica 10-year Deal for New Solar Farms in UK

MYTILINEOS through its Renewables & Storage Development (RSD) Business Unit and Centrica have signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Vodafone UK relating to the energy generated from three solar farms in the United Kingdom.

Specifically, the solar farms located in Lincolnshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire have an overall capacity of 110 MW. All projects were developed and are currently under construction by the MYTILINEOS RSD Business Unit and Commercial Operation Date (COD) is expected in stages across 2022 and Q1 2023.

These solar assets will supply more than 109 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity, displacing more than 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year – the equivalent of taking approximately 14,800 cars off the road.

“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,” Nikos Papapetrou, General Manager of the RSD Business Unit of MYTILINEOS, stated.

The deal between Vodafone, MYTILINEOS and Centrica, 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.

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

Once the solar plants are energised, 50% of the total electricity output – equal to 54 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity – will be delivered through a sleeving agreement arranged by Centrica to Vodafone.

“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,” Cassim Mangerah, Managing Director of Centrica Energy Marketing and Trading, noted.

The RSD Business Unit is already established in the UK as a strategic domain for MYTILINEOS in both solar and storage business. The Company currently has in the country a portfolio of 133 MW in development and is planning to add 300 MWs during 2022.

The total capacity of the RSD Business Unit’s international portfolio currently stands at c. 2.140 MW out of which:

• 123 MW in operation
• 657 MW are under construction
• 475 MW are Ready To Build (RTB)
• 884 MW will be RTB by the end of 2022

On top of the above, the portfolio also includes a pipeline of projects in early stage of development, with a capacity of c. 3 GW.

Vodafone UK has made significant progress on its net zero and environmental agenda in the last year, including:

• Switching to 100% renewable electricity;
• Reducing CO2 emissions by 37%;
• Trialling electric vehicle charging points and moving to a 60% EV or PHEV car fleet;
• Enabling customers to make more informed environmental choices with the launch of trade-in and refurbished handset offers, roll out of the Eco Rating scheme and switching to SIM cards made from recycled plastic;
• Helping businesses save almost 500,000 tonnes of CO2e through IoT technology;
• Joining the UK Government’s Race to Zero and Tech Zero Taskforce.

Vodafone is committed to cutting carbon emissions and electronic waste and helping its customers to do the same.

 

About MYTILINEOS

MYTILINEOS is a leading Greek industry active in Metallurgy, Power & Gas, Renewables & Storage and Sustainable Engineering Solutions. Established in Greece in 1990, the company is listed on the Athens Exchange, has a consolidated turnover of €2.7 billion and employs directly or indirectly more than 4,820 people in Greece and abroad.

 

About Centrica

Centrica is a leading international energy services and solutions provider, founded on a 200-year heritage of serving people.

Energy Marketing and Trading is the trading and optimisation arm of Centrica. They are a leading provider of energy management and optimisation services to businesses, in addition to managing commodity risk and providing wholesale market access for the Centrica Group. They have 14GW of capacity under contract in Europe, more than 80% of which is renewable assets.

 

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses, and devices to help the customers benefit from digital innovation. Their services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Vodafone UK has a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. They were also the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester. As of March 2022, Vodafone UK has 5G in 380 locations across Europe – 141 in the UK and 239 across Germany, Spain, Italy, and Ireland. Their 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.

Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. To help deliver Gigabit UK, its full-fibre broadband roll-out programme now covers 26 UK towns and cities, rising to 35 over the coming months, through partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach. By spring 2022, Vodafone target is to make full fibre services available to more than eight million homes across the UK.

As of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity Vodafone uses in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.