Written by Andrew Wooden for Telecoms.com
Renewable energy firm Iberdrola will provide Vodafone’s operations in Germany, Portugal and Spain with 410 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy per year.
The deal announced today builds on an existing power purchase agreement (PPA) for solar power in Germany and extends it to Portugal and Spain, and the two firms are apparently looking at further renewable energy-based initiatives elsewhere in Europe.
Vodafone Portugal will be fed energy from the newly built Velilla solar PV plant in Palencia, Spain, while Vodafone Spain will get 280 GWh per year from the new Cedillo PV plant located in Cáceres, Spain, and according to the agreement announced last week Vodafone Germany will slurp up the full energy produced from the Boldekow PV plant, Iberdrola’s first solar project to be developed in the country.
The latter plant will have a total capacity of 56 MWp and will be built in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and will be fully operational by 2024. All in all, we’re told the power from three solar plants is comparable to the annual electricity demands of approximately 117,000 homes.
While they’re at it, Iberdrola has also installed more than 140 electric vehicle charging points in the main facilities at Vodafone Spain.
“These agreements across Europe underline Vodafone’s commitment to ensure our customers will continue to benefit from electricity purchased 100% from renewable sources,” said Joakim Reiter, Vodafone Group Chief External & Corporate Affairs Officer. “They also provide Vodafone with improved energy security and long-term price certainty as we work towards achieving net-zero in our operations by 2030.”
